


The People of Time

by Bremol



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Science Fiction, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-24 18:45:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 46,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12018789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bremol/pseuds/Bremol
Summary: Charles and Elsie are a legend...they just don't know it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the story I worked on for NaNo in 2015 but didn't manage to finish. It's been up at the other ff site for a while, and I was surprised to see I hadn't posted it here (though I could have swore that I did...hmm...).
> 
> Anyway...this is a different kind of story from anything I've written for DA before. I'm a sci-fi lover and actually find that it's easier to write sci-fi most of the time. So...meet Sci-fi Downton...he! If you're curious about the story, but not sure you want to read, there's a video preview/trailer posted [here](http://bremol.tumblr.com/post/149302735129/a-previewtrailer-for-my-new-story).

 

 

 

 

 

_Earth, Winter Solstice in the very distant future_

 

_It’s the first day of the alignment of the Triad. For nine months, Earth will have the Moon, the Sun, and X’ronos visible in the sky. The seasons are always mixed up in these years with the Triad, but the birth of an Óra is the blessing that is bestowed upon those that struggle because of the trials caused by the Sun and Moon never setting._

 

_Earth, Autumn Equinox in the same very distant future_

 

_In a small village, Yorkshire, England, a baby gives a lusty cry._

_At the very same moment, in a small burgh in Scotland, another baby is born, silently blinking her bright blue eyes against the light._

_No one knows that two Óra have been born simultaneously._

_No one knows that the fulfilment of the legend of the Ancient One has begun._

_No one knows that the moon has been banished from his home in the sky by the Sun in jealousy._

_No one knows that Time herself has followed her love to live a life on Earth until she finds him._

_And so our story begins…_

 

~*~

Charles stood and stared at the cracked painting of the woman that had haunted his dreams for years.  He’d been searching for information about her, searching _for_ her, for so long he’d nearly given up.  And then, a random assignment that sent him one hundred and fifty years into his future gives him her name.

Elsie Hughes.

According to the small plaque, she was an important figure in history. Everyone knew of the first lady to break through the barriers of the holocaust of twenty-three thirteen. A holocaust that had sent every woman on Earth into hiding just to survive.

What he hadn’t known, or anyone else for that matter, was her name or what she looked like.  This painting was the only visual that existed of the woman, the accompanying plaque the only thing bearing her name.  Both things he found himself wondering about.

How did these exist when no one had ever been able to recall what the woman had looked like or been able to say what her name was?

It was just another part of the mystery of the woman he now knew as Elsie Hughes.

“Mr. Carson?” a voice sounded beside him, startling Charles out of his contemplations.

“Oh, yes. I’m sorry. Mr. Benton, I presume.”

“I am indeed. I see you’ve found our mysterious painting.”

Charles gave the man a startled look. “I have. But how is it mysterious when it’s here in your building?”

“No one knows where it came from. The painter didn’t add their signature, so no one can even look them up and ask them about the painting.”

“Hmm.” Charles hummed as he pondered this bit of news. “This is the only visual that exists of her. No one has ever known what she looked like or what her name was. All anyone has ever known was the story of how she stood up to the leader of the Regime and broke through the barrier that had been left behind after the holocaust.”

“We can find no records of this woman any other time in history.”

“I haven’t found anything on her in any time.” Charles commented.

“She’s a mystery, Mr. Carson.”

“That she is, Mr. Benton. That she is.”

 

~*~

 

Elsie sighed as she curled into a ball, her body tired and hurting from her latest run in with time. Why she always seemed to find herself in situations where she was forced to slow down time, she didn’t know, but she did know that her body was growing weary with the pain caused by her actions. She looked far older, she stopped the thought with a laugh.

“Who the hell are you kidding, Elsie Hughes? You look damned good for woman as old as you are.”

“Elsie, lass, are you alright?” Kenda asked as she came into the room and sat down beside the woman she’d been looking after for the last twenty years. She knew that Elsie was one of the rare Óra, and that she was far older than she seemed. The thought of the woman outliving her had only made Kenda sad as she realized that Elsie had outlived her family and friends ten times over.

“It hurts, Kenda. Why must it hurt so? Why have I been cursed with this?”

“I don’t know, lass.”

Elsie shook her head as she looked up at her constant companion and friend. “I should be calling you lass.”

Kenda laughed gently as she caressed the hair from Elsie’s face. “No, lass. You may be older than I in years, but you need a mother to see to you when you’re hurting. To the world I am the older one so I shall go on being the mother you need.”

Taking Kenda’s hand, Elsie held it tightly as she closed her eyes with the pain. “You’re far too good to me. I miss my mother sometimes. She’s been gone now for too many years to count.”

Kenda could hear the sadness in Elsie’s voice. “I’m so sorry. Everyone worships the myth of The Óra, but no one realizes the curse it really is for those of you born with immortality.” Placing a cool hand on Elsie’s forehead, Kenda asked a question she’d longed pondered on.

“Have you never tried to find another of your kind? Or maybe even just find a mortal man to love you and at least give you some happiness?”

“There’s a man that haunts my dreams.”

“Have you tried to find him?”

“No. If he’s mortal, what good would it do? I couldn’t bear to lose him. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us.”

“But is it fair to yourself to never know love?” Kenda wiped a tear from Elsie’s cheek.

“I can’t, Kenda. He’s all that I think of, but I can’t. I just can’t.”

“Shh. Why don’t I fetch some of your favorite Scotch?”

“The whole bottle might help at least dull the pain enough so that I can rest.” Elsie whispered.

Kenda nodded, knowing that Elsie only ever drank a full bottle when the pain was especially bad. She wished the man that haunted Elsie’s dreams would come along and give the lass at least some happiness, though he would have to be stronger willed than Elsie Hughes to accomplish it.


	2. Chapter 2

Charles found this assignment one of his more boring ones. He’d had a few over the years and always tried to avoid them, but this was one that only he could see to. He rolled his eyes at that. How he could be the only one that could accomplish this task, he had no idea, but arguing he knew would do him no good.

“Damned artificial life form,” he grumbled as he thought of the caretaker of the time traveling foundation that all Óra became a part of once they reached a certain age.

Charles knew that his kind were few and that they were scattered here and yon in time, but he always found himself wondering about the small number that had refused to do the bidding of the gods. Well, the bidding of someone. He wasn’t sure it was the gods. He thought perhaps it was just something that one of the mortals had decided the immortals should do since they would always find themselves out living those around them, or find themselves having to disappear to keep people from learning just what they were.

He had never understood why they must keep who they were a secret. Using false names, in some cases a disguise, was something he was growing weary of. He’d often thought about taking a wife, having children, but then he would think of how awful it was to watch his siblings, far younger than he, grow old and die, then the rest of his family one by one, until he was all there was left.

And then there was the woman that had haunted his dreams since he was nothing more than a young boy. She’d been a young girl when he’d first seen her, but as he grew older so did she. She was beautiful yet sad in his dreams and he often wondered why she was always there.

Now he knew who she was, but knowing her name did nothing to help him find her.

She was no where. Nothing about her.

He had thought that maybe she was Óra as he was, but even the AI’s archive didn’t contain anything about an Elsie Hughes. It was as though she didn’t exist.

Closing his eyes, he let his head fall back against the couch. Her eyes were blue and seemed to glow each time she looked at him in his dreams, but there was pain hidden in their depths, a pain that seemed to be almost too much for her to bear.

Was it because she lost someone she loved?

Was she as alone as he?

His companion had died two years ago and he’d not found one to replace them. He’d been asked why and he’d had no answer.

He supposed it was because he was tired of constantly growing close to someone only to have them grown old and die.

This time his companion had been a woman and his lover. He’d had several lovers over the years, though he’d always been very careful to choose one that understood he wouldn’t marry her or give her children. It hurt enough to lose a companion or lover, he couldn’t bear the thoughts of watching his own children grow old and die.

The thoughts gave him nightmares.

He thought about the way Sara had loved him, had given him a warm body to hold onto when things had gone wrong with an assignment. He remembered the last time she’d held him. She’d been an old woman then, nearly ninety, but she’d known that he needed her arms to comfort him, and so she’d laid in their bed and held him even as she was slowly slipping away from him. He’d cried that day – the first time he’d cried in centuries.

Sara had been his best companion and lover, his only one to know the secret he hid from all others.

She knew of his birthmark, how it differed from all other Óra marks. His had the Triad, with the moon over his right shoulder blade, separated from X’ronos which rested over his left shoulder blade, by the sun sitting in the middle of his back. She’d told him it meant he was special, but he’d always scoffed and told her she was just trying to appease him.

He’d also told her of the woman that haunted his dreams, the woman who had eyes like blue fire, and a smile as bright as a thousand suns. Sara had told him to try and find the woman, that she was his destiny, but until Sara had died, he hadn’t tried because he didn’t believe in such nonsense as destiny.

Hearing a noise outside his window, he stood up and went to look out on the street below and growled in frustration at the ruffians making short work of stripping down someone’s flitter. He rolled his eyes.

“Who the hell still owns a flitter?” he grumbled as he watched the youngsters disappear in all different directions, nothing but the frame of the flitter left behind.   Most people in this year had transport passes and took one of the many varied forms of public transportation, having long ago decided that the cities were far too crowded to take up more space with parking garages and any sort of vehicle.

Flitters had been the last of the personally owned transportation vehicles and were only owned by the very few that refused to give up going places on their own time, against any sort of schedule.

Turning back into his room, he walked to the bar and poured himself a drink. Scotch, though he had never been sure just why. His father had always insisted that as a proper Englishman he should favor port. That had always resulted in a roll of the eyes and a snigger covered by a cough from his mother.

He smiled as he thought of the small woman who had given him life and raised him with a gentle strength that made him into the man he was today. His father would have let him get by with anything, being right proud of the fact that his son was one of the rare ones, but his mother wasn’t so enamored. If he did something she thought he shouldn’t, she’d smack him upside the back of his head and shake her finger in his face as she told him just what she thought of his actions.

“I miss you,” he whispered to the small picture in the silver frame. He took the picture of his parents wherever he went, no matter where or when it was. “I miss both of you.”

Sitting down again, he sipped at his drink, his mother’s voice echoing in his head.

_“I’m proud of you, my son. Never let what you are make you haughty or proud. Do your best to help those you’re sent to. I know you think it’s a curse, Love, but don’t be like those that escaped in time and live only for themselves.”_

_Charles’ voice shook as he answered his mother. “Yes, Ma. I’ll do my best for you. Just,” his voice finally cracked as his tears rolled down his cheeks and dropped on his mother’s face. “Please don’t leave me.”_

_“I have to, Love. Pa’s waiting for me. Some day, Charlie, she’ll come some day and she’ll give you all that I never could.”_

His mother had known about the woman in his dreams even before he’d told her. How, well, he’d never been able to understand how. His mother had an unexplainable connection to all of her children, one that his sister had with her children and his niece to hers, and on down the line through each female until his family line had ceased to exist.

How many years ago had the last one died?

He shook his head and took another drink, unwilling to remember, though he was only kidding himself. His mind was like a steel trap. It took in everything, forgot nothing, and processed it all with a rapidity that often stunned those around him. He couldn’t help but chuckle when he remembered the first time he’d faced the AI and beat it at calculations.

The creators had been astounded and sure that something was wrong with the unit. It took nearly a hundred years before an AI was created that could out process his mind. The creators had been very proud of themselves, Charles had merely shrugged and said he didn’t realize it was a competition between him and the machine.

That hadn’t set well with any of them, though he’d been hard pressed to care even a jot, much less a tittle. Of course, it hadn’t stopped him from trying and successfully training his mind so that once again he could out process the AI.

The AI that now ran the time program had long since given up trying to go against Charles, its circuitry always overheating when they would go at it.

Such was his life.

Changing important events in time and competing against a bunch of wire circuitry.


	3. Chapter 3

_Maeve Hughes stared down at the tiny bundle in her arms, the bright blue eyes shining up at her with more clarity that a baby only moments old should have, told her all about the daughter she’d struggled the day and most of the night to bring into the world._

_“Hello, Elsie Mae. You’re going to be a challenge…” she paused, seeing more of the babe’s future, eyes widening as she saw an event that had yet to happen. “Oh my darling, Lass,” she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek._

_Maeve knew that her baby would grow into a fine woman, made even more so because she was one of the rare ones – an Orá. She would live a long life but suffer greatly as she watched her family dying one by one, leaving Elsie Mae as the lone survivor of the Hughes bloodline. The thought of her child outliving her whole family made Maeve want to weep for the loneliness, but there was something else, **someone** else tied to the baby whimpering and nuzzling against her._

_“Shh, Lassie,” she soothed as she settled her daughter to her breast, laughing softly at the tiny hand grasping her nightdress. “No need to hold me hostage, Elsie Mae. I’ll not be taking your meal away from you.”_

_Watching her bairn nurse, Maeve knew that the years ahead would be difficult for them all. The child in her arms had inherited all of the Hughes powers, that had been the first thing her far sight had seen when Elsie had been placed against her chest after she’d been born._

_No one Hughes woman had possessed all of the powers for hundreds of years. Even now she could feel the power pulsing through her child’s veins._

_This was going to be one bumpy ride._

Elsie rolled over in her sleep, her eyes moving rapidly under their lids as her mind took her back in time and let her see the day she was born. She’d never had this happen before, and she wasn’t sure why it was happening now.

Sitting up, she blinked against the blinding light of the sun shining in through the window.

What was going on?

What was her mind trying to tell her?

 

~*~

 

Richard Carlisle snarled as he slapped down his newspaper. He hated waiting about and living in this backwards time.

Who the hell was he kidding?

He hated being trapped in this ridiculously small, fragile body. He rolled his eyes when he thought of how many times he’d had to go forward in time to have this body repaired due to its inability to sustain him without damage.

“Damned Time and her desire for the moon.” He rolled his eyes. “Or rather the man in the moon.” He snarled and felt himself grow ill. He’d never understood Time, or X’ronos’, as she was known here, infatuation with Máni. He knew their names as their original forms, but he had as of yet to discover just who they were here on this ridiculous planet.

He’d thought it would be easy to find them when he’d finally realized that X’ronos had followed the banished Máni into human form and had came down himself to find them.

That had been over five centuries ago and he still was no closer to finding them than he had been the day he was born.

“Born,” he huffed. “Bah.” What a horrible experience that had been, and unlike the two he sought, this body he’d been born into wasn’t an immortal one. Only his knowledge of the medical advancements of the far off future had kept him alive as long as he had been and looking as good as he could in this ridiculous flesh.

The only thing he’d found that he enjoyed was the many women that seemed to fall at his feet. Being a rich man attracted all sorts, and as the supreme Sól, he took on the best of those that flocked to him.

Mary Crawley being one of the more challenging and exciting ones he’d had in decades. And what luck that she was involved with the death of a Turkish diplomat, the son of one of the Turkish Sultan’s ministers. It was stuff of scandal for the family and the perfect ammunition to get him what he wanted from the snobbish young woman.

Of course he hadn’t planned on her still harboring feelings for her cousin. He snarled his nose. That would never do. He’d made sure to send a little bit of stuff into Matthew Crawley’s path to distract him and it had worked until she’d been drawn into Mary’s web. He knew about the kiss she and Matthew had shared and that the young Miss Swire had caught them. Of course, she was now unfortunately out of the picture thanks to the Spanish flu epidemic that swept through the country.

Another thing he hated about these earthly bodies of flesh and bone.

Too many things could make them ill and send them suddenly plunging into death.

Why X’ronos would choose a weak body just to be near her love, he had no idea. She could have had everything with him. Sun and Time would have been a powerful merger, but no, she had to fall for the weakling moon. Máni didn’t even have his own light. All he was relied on the reflection of the Sun.

Sól.

He was the all powerful one.

He gave life to the crops these poor, pitiful humans relied on to sustain them physically as well as financially.

And yet, Time had chosen the weak Moon.

Foolish female.

 

~*~

 

Charles sighed as he looked around the tiny room that had been his home for the last week. He was never sure how it was accomplished, but suddenly all the people around him were convinced he was the butler of Downton Abbey and had been for a very long time.

He found it odd that people spoke of the housekeeper but he had as of yet to see her. How could he possibly miss the most important woman below stairs every day for over a week?

Something seemed off to him, but then again, this assignment had come up in the middle of his other one and they had replaced him and sent him here as quickly as it was possible, putting his processing skills to the test as he read every bit of information AI sent to his book unit before leaving his time and going back to this one.

So far he hadn’t made any mistakes, so they evidently gave him everything he needed to know.

Thank heaven.

He’d had a few assignments where his skills of thinking quickly on his feet had been sorely tested, almost lacking, and had barely kept him from being discovered for a fraud.

He did find it odd that he was using his own name this time.

The butler of Downton Abbey at this time in history had been named Joseph Molesley, but the Joseph Molesley he’d met, he shook his head. The man had been butler to the mother of the young heir to the Earl of Grantham title, and was now living here as valet to the young man, but Charles couldn’t fathom how the man could possibly have been butler of such a grand house as Downton. The man was too skittish to be a man of great authority, which one would have to be to run a house with as many servants as this one had.

But what did he know?

For all Charles knew, the changes that were made to allow him to fit in here, had changed Molesley into the bumbling man he’d met the day he arrived. In which case he’d have to keep his exasperation with the man in check as it was his fault the man was as is.

Hearing the cook shrieking in the kitchen, he pinched the bridge of his nose. Why was there always a shrieking woman about? She was going on about the bloody store cupboard key again, something he’d heard several times in the short time he’d been here.

Why the bloody housekeeper just didn’t give the woman the key, he had no idea, but it seemed to be a bone of contention between the women that would soon drive him mad.

Ha! He could just see himself spending all of his life, which was never ending, in some asylum for the blubbering insane. That would be fun.

Or not.

Hearing the tinkling of metal mixed with the distinct sound of a woman’s foot falls, Charles turned and made his way back to the door of his pantry, intent on finally meeting his counterpart.   He scowled when a knock on the door stopped him in his tracks.

“Enter,” he called out, trying to keep his scowl in check when he saw who it was disturbing him.


	4. Chapter 4

Elsie sighed as she stood up, finally able to move, free of the pain she’d been in the last four days. Kenda had done all that she could, but the pain seemed to be constantly growing worse, each recovery taking longer than the last.

“Feeling better, Lass?” Kenda asked as she moved to give Elsie a cup of tea.

Elsie hummed her approval as she swallowed a sip of tea. “Always just the way I like it. Thank you, Kenda. And yes, I feel much better now.”

“I hate to do this to you, but this came in from AI.”

Elsie rolled her eyes and sipped at her tea. AI only ever contacted her when something demanded that she be apart of it to fix it. The Holocaust of twenty-three thirteen being one of those times. She’d seen what had happened, the future those events had brought about, and she’d had no other option than to go and interfere. If she hadn’t gone and did her best to change things, the world into which she’d been born wouldn’t have existed. Her mother and father never would have married much less have had her and her sisters and brothers.

Her mother would never have been _born_.

The population would have been full of male clones.

She shook herself out of her thoughts. “What is it?” she asked as she curled up in her favorite chair, staring out at the beauty of her homeland.

“You’re needed in a small village by the name of Downton. Yorkshire, England area.”

“What year?”

“Nineteen hundred and twenty.”

Elsie raised an eyebrow at that. “I haven’t been that far back in history before. What is it I’m needed for?”

“According to this, you’re to do whatever is necessary to keep the Earl of Grantham’s youngest daughter from dying in childbirth.” Kenda handed the book unit over to Elsie and let her read the history she would need to prepare for her task. “Surely AI doesn’t expect you to use,” she started, stopping when Elsie looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.

“I’ve used it before.”

“But Elsie, I won’t be there to tend to you. If you have to use your powers inherited from your mother as well as your way with time,” Kenda stopped and looked away. “What if it’s too much?”

“Kenda, you know that I can’t die.”

“That doesn’t mean that you can’t be hurt beyond what your body and mind can bear.”

“I do my best not to use anything that will hurt me. I don’t relish another bout like this last one.”

“Couldn’t I go with you?”

“I would love it if you could, but you know that it’s prohibited. It would kill you, Kenda, and I couldn’t bear it if I lost you.”

“You’ll lose me one day, Lass. I’m growing old.”

“I know, but I don’t like thinking of it.” Elsie whispered. She’d lost too many in her life. Lovers, companions, caretakers. Her family were all gone, no one left but herself. Her mother had lived far longer than most people, but Elsie supposed it would have been odd for a witch not to have lived an extended life. Her sisters hadn’t been witches, which had surprised everyone but her mother. Her mother had known that Elsie would be the last of the Hughes witches, taking all of the powers that would have been spread out amongst the other females in the family in any other circumstance.

Of course, the other families didn’t have a firstborn that was one of the rare Óra. Maybe that was why Elsie had become the final Hughes witch. Mam had never told her, though Elsie knew that her mother knew.

Her mother knew things that she kept hidden from Elsie, though she wasn’t sure how. Elsie had always known what others were thinking, known what they were going to do before they did as she’d inherited her mother’s gift of far sight. Maybe it was because her mother’s gift was the same that she could hide things from Elsie, but Elsie had never had the nerve to ask.

Maeve Hughes had disappeared one day, not returning for three days, and never telling where she’d been. Elsie’s father had asked her to tell him, but Elsie had told him she knew nothing because her mother’s mind was blank except for the love she had for all of her children and her husband. Sean Hughes had accepted his daughter’s word and gone on about his work.

She smiled at the thought of her father. He’d been a quiet man, tall and broad, and the handsomest of men in the small burgh Elsie had grown up in.

“Elsie?” Kendra whispered as she touched Elsie’s hand. “I’ve lost you. Far sight?”

“No.” Elsie shook her head. “Hindsight. Remembering those I’ve lost.”

“I’m sorry, Lass.”

“It is the curse of the Óra.”

Kenda nodded, her heart filled with sadness as she thought of the dream she’d had last night. She knew that she would never see Elsie again, knew that her beautiful, kind, and courageous lass would be far into the past for far longer than anyone expected her to be.

“Kenda?” Elsie whispered. “What is it?” she asked, seeing the look on her friend’s face. Her eyes going glassy, she saw what it was before Kenda could answer and she cried out as she dropped her teacup. “No! I won’t go. No!”

Kenda pulled Elsie into her arms, holding her close as she calmed her. “You must. You must save her, she’s important.”

“ _You_ are important.” Elsie whispered as she held on to her friend. “You’re all that I have, Kenda. I can’t leave knowing that I’ll be gone and lose you.”

Kenda cupped Elsie’s face in her hands and lifted it so that she could smile down at the woman that, though far older than she, had been the daughter she’d never had. “You’ll never lose me, Lass. I’ll always be with you just as your mother, father, and the rest of those you’ve lost, are still with you.”

“But I can’t let you die alone.”

“It’s meant to be, Lass.”

Elsie’s eyes filled with tears as she stared up at her companion, memorizing her face and the depth of her green eyes. “I love you, Kenda. You’ve been the mother I’ve been missing for so many years.”

Wiping the tears from Elsie’s cheeks, Kenda pressed a kiss to her forehead. “And you’ve been the daughter I never thought I would have. You must go now, Lass. AI is expecting you.”

Wrapping her arms around Kenda, Elsie held her tightly, doing something she rarely did – blessing her with a witch’s wish for an easy death, changing the fate that would find her while Elsie was lost in the past.


	5. Chapter 5

Elsie looked around the small room she now called hers. It wasn’t as small as she’d expected, for which she was thankful. She was also immensely grateful that she wasn’t of average height. The bed would suffice for her, but she hated to think of how anyone as tall as some of the young men could possibly sleep comfortably. She’d seen the young Alfred and thought how he’d probably be better off sleeping on the floor, at least then half his legs wouldn’t be hanging off the bed.

She shook her head, rousing herself from her ridiculous thoughts. She had a job to do, one that she only had a few weeks to work on correcting. Losing herself in musings was not the way to get things done, especially on this particular case. Her senses had been on high alert the minute she’d appeared in this timeline, though she hadn’t as yet figured out what it was that was causing the reactions.

Staring at herself in the mirror, she snarled her nose at the corset hanging half undone on her frame. “Why the hell did they torture themselves with this thing?” she muttered in frustration as she fussed with the necessary contraption to make her look like she fit into this society.

“Ouch!” she hissed then frowned as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her heart began to race as she slowly lifted a hand to her breast and gently felt around until she found what had caused the sudden pain.

As if she were outside her body, she watched tears well up as fear darkened her eyes. She could feel her hand, cold and trembling, as it rested against her flesh, and her mind began to wonder what it would be like to be an immortal with cancer.

Could she even have the dreaded disease?

She’d never been sick with anything other than the pain from using her power over time.

She knew that she could go forward in time and receive treatment that would leave her wondering if the lump she’d just found had been in her imagination, but this assignment was far too important for her to ask to be pulled out.

She was going to have to subject herself to what she thought of as barbaric treatment.

Or maybe this _was_ just her imagination.

 

~*~

 

“It’s a lump alright. There’s no point dithering about that.”

Elsie fought against the tears as the cook’s words bounced around her brain. Her fingers were shaking and making it hard for her to push the ridiculously tiny buttons of her dress back through their proper holes. She could hear the cook talking once again, but not much of what she was saying made sense. She heard the word doctor and you’ll not be alone.

Alone.

She was alone.

She had no one.

What did she really know of the woman who had, just moments ago, carefully touched the place that Elsie had pointed out?

She knew that the woman thought they’d known each other for years, but it wasn’t the same for Elsie and her heart longed for Kenda and the safety of her embrace. She needed to be mothered, something that Kenda had always done for her in any time of distress.

She responded to Mrs. Patmore with what she hoped was the appropriate answer, still not really knowing what the woman had said.

“Mrs. Hughes, did you hear a word I said?”

Elsie shook her head and looked at Mrs. Patmore. “I’m sorry. No, I didn’t.”

Mrs. Patmore rested her hand over Elsie’s. “It’s alright. I was just saying we’ll call the doctor tomorrow and I’ll go with you…that you’ll not go through this alone if you don’t want to.”

“Thank you.” Elsie whispered as she tried to control her emotions.

“It’ll be alright, Lass.” Mrs. Patmore whispered as she squeezed the hands she could feel trembling beneath hers.

Hearing the gently spoken words broke Elsie’s control and she turned away, a hand over her mouth to keep her cries at bay. “I’m sorry,” she murmured as way of apologizing for her outburst.

“What for?” Mrs. Patmore questioned as she placed a hand on Elsie’s shoulder. “For being frightened? I’d be worried if you weren’t.”

Elsie looked up at the woman she’d met only a few hours ago, the touch of her hand letting her see into the woman’s future. She couldn’t help but smile as she saw what lay ahead for the fiery cook. “Thank you, Mrs. Patmore. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

“We’re all we’ve got and that means we have to stick together. Fights over the store cupboard key aside.”

Elsie laughed at that. She’d only been here a day and already they’d had words over that damned key. If it were up to her, she’d give the woman the bloody thing, but that wasn’t how things were done so she’d have to put up with the constant arguments over it. “I’ve never been called Mary Bloody Queen of Scots before.”

Mrs. Patmore sniggered and shook her head. “I’m sure I’ll call you that again in future.”

Turning her hand, Elsie squeezed the warm hand of the cook. “Thank you.”

Mrs. Patmore shrugged. “You’d do it for me.”

“Yes, Mrs. Patmore, I would.” Elsie studied the cook and wondered at how she suddenly felt so close to a woman she barely knew.

“Now, I’d better get back to me kitchen. Lord knows what that dozy girl has got up to.”

Elsie shook her head as she watched Mrs. Patmore walk from her sitting room. If she had to go through this without Kenda, she was glad for the woman with spunk and plenty of sass that had just walked out the door.

 

~*~

 

Elsie yawned as she settled into the hot water of her bath. The night had been long, her thoughts making it even longer and tiresome than it should have been. She couldn’t stop herself from wondering what it would be like to be ill.

Would she be able to heal herself?

Would she be able to finish her task in time to go ahead into the future to a time of better medicine?

Would she be stuck here to suffer?

And if she was suffering through the treatments of this century, how would that affect her control over her powers?

She let her head fall back and bump against the tub. Dear heaven above, she wouldn’t be able to have any sort of treatment. If taking pain medication of any kind caused loss of control with her powers, she couldn’t imagine the sort of chaotic mess they’d be in with the treatments available for cancer in this time and place she found herself.

What would cancer do to the body of an immortal?

She couldn’t die, she knew that, but she also knew she could suffer. She’d heard the stories of the Orá that had been shot during one of the many wars of the world. In a normal person, the shot would have been fatal, but because he was Orá, he’d only bled profusely and writhed in pain. He’d been on assignment so they hadn’t been able to pull him out right away. No one knew where he’d been taken, but everyone knew that he’d lost his mind from the constant agony. She was sure they’d sent him into the future to be healed, but what of his mind? Had they healed that as well?

Would she lose her mind along with the control over her powers?

So many questions kept going through her mind, over and over again, until things seemed to be jumbled. She was so lost in those thoughts that she didn’t hear the door open, her mind having been too occupied to realize she’d forgotten to turn the lock when she’d entered earlier.

Mrs. Patmore froze in shock at having found someone in the tub, her eyes widening when that someone moved and their back was exposed. She saw the birthmark – the sun, moon, and the planet X’ronos – just before auburn hair covered them and she realized that the housekeeper was the Orá the Legend of the Ancient One spoke of. Backing quietly out of the room, she eased the door closed then leaned against it.

Heaven above. Now what?


	6. Chapter 6

Elsie sighed in frustration. She was tired, her mind not letting her sleep as she waited and worried about the tests the doctor had done. On top of that, she wasn’t having much luck with her assignment. It was growing closer and closer to being too late for her to do anything to stop the death from happening. From her assignment preparation, she knows that the week that the Earl decided to bring in a doctor from Harley Street to attend to the birth of his first grandchild is growing closer. It was a mistake that led to the young woman’s death – a mistake she’s here to correct come hell or high water.

She also knows the consequences if she doesn’t succeed, and usually she doesn’t fear failing because she never fails. That’s why she was sent in after all. But this time she isn’t so sure of herself. Would she be able to do what she needed to?

Her gift of far sight has let her see ahead for those she’s come in contact with since she took the place of the housekeeper. She still finds it odd that everyone suddenly knows her as if she’s been here for years rather than just the little bit of time that she actually has been. She also finds it odd that she’s not seen the butler. She takes her ledgers into his pantry of the morning so that he can see that their figures match. She’s always quite certain she’ll see him there, but his pantry is always dark when she arrives, as if he’s not even awake yet.

Which could be the truth of it. Most days he has no reason to rise as early as she does, especially if it’s been an exceptionally long night due to a party. Today though, she’s made up her mind, is the day they’ll meet. It’s time she finds out just who her superior is. She snarls her nose at the thought. There was a reason why she’d never gone back this far in time.

Women are treated as less than men in this era. They can’t inherit land or titles, and they’re just getting started in the workforce thanks, sadly, to the Great War taking so many of the young men. She knows that the youngest daughter of the house is a forward thinker, knows that is one of the reasons she must survive, but she also knows that it caused a great rift between the girl and her parents due to her forward thinking leading to her marrying the former chauffeur.

Elsie chuckled.

An Irishman on top of that.

Her laughter died as she thought of what she’d learned about the young man. He’d been banned from ever returning home after being in the wrong place at the wrong time, mixed in with the wrong crowd. She understood his desire to revolutionize his country, but the violence with which the revolutionaries had gone about it – that didn’t seem to fit the man she’d read about. It also didn’t fit with the man she’d met only yesterday, his bright smile when he’d greeted her throwing her off a bit until she’d got ahold of herself and remembered that the young man was like everyone else and had known her for years.

Yawning, she squared her shoulders and stepped from her room. The chatelaine at her waist tinkled as she walked, its metallic chimes a comforting sound as she made her way down from the attics to the hustle and bustle of below stairs.

Her thoughts were clear now. Meet the butler and keep her mind wholly on what she was there to do.

Save Sybil Branson.

 

~*~

 

Charles was frustrated. All the time he’d been here and he’d still not managed to meet the housekeeper. How was that possible?

Surely the two of them should be meeting at least once a day to go over household matters. He didn’t know how, but he always found the day’s ledgers balanced between his and hers each morning when he came down to his pantry to prepare for his day.

Shaking his head, he tilted it when he heard the distinct sound of the tinkling keys he knew rested at the housekeeper’s waist on the silver chatelaine she wore. He frowned as he listened closer. The footsteps were different. Standing up, he moved around his desk and to the door, but the call of the cook to the housekeeper kept him from making his way any further toward the door.

Damn and blast!

He’d missed his chance to see the housekeeper once more.

He was determined that he would see her today, one way or the other. He had to know why her footsteps were suddenly lighter and more graceful than those he’d heard outside of his pantry doors before.

Sitting back in his desk chair, he stared down at the diary he was writing, a diary that he kept under lock and key in a secret place in his trunk up in the small attic room he slept in. This diary held his thoughts about this assignment. His main thought through these last weeks was that he had no idea why he was here.

There was nothing that suggested danger to the young heir. He knew from studying the material supplied to him before being flung back in time, that just shortly after the war the young man’s wife had been engaged to another man. A Sir Richard Carlisle, a man that had threatened to throw the family into chaos by releasing the information he had on the young lady and her secret liaison with a Turkish diplomat that had died in her bed.

But all of that was taken care of now, the young lady having married her cousin and settled in quite nicely to wait on her sister’s baby to arrive.

How could he possibly be here for the young man when there was nothing wrong or even threatening to go wrong? He sighed, deciding that they’d made a mistake and sent him into the wrong time frame. That had happened once before and pulling him out had been just short of a nightmare.

Tonight he would have to take a walk away from the house and contact AI. He didn’t fancy a repeat of the last time, but he also didn’t relish living in this time any longer than he had to. He had to fight to remember that women were treated less than a man’s equal, he scoffed, less than a man _period_ in this era, and he hated the fact. His mother had been every bit his father’s equal, and every woman he’d known in his life was just the same.

It was no wonder the Holocaust of twenty-three thirteen happened. Women just didn’t seem to fight hard enough for themselves. The women in this household thought they were standing up for themselves, but it was more of a whimper in his opinion. He shuddered just thinking of his mother’s reaction should someone treat her as the men treated the women now.

Hell fire and brimstone.

He smiled at that…the thought making him think of his father.

Edward Carson had been a large man, even more so than Charles himself was, but his soul was gentle and he handled those around him with kindness, though if riled up his booming voice could shatter glass. Even still, the man could be made to quake in his boots if his wife was angry enough.

Charles laughed as he thought of the first time he’d heard his father mutter, “She’s all hell fire and brimstone, Charlie, stay out of her way.” His sister, Evelyn, had taken after their mother and he’d often heard her husband muttering much the same to their son. “Watch out, Freddie, Mum’s all hell fire and brimstone again.”

Neither woman had minded, as a matter of fact, he could remember numerous times when his mother would turn to glare at her husband and son then burst out laughing as she came to them and hugged them close.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he frowned as he pondered the reason for his mind continually wandering back into his past.

What was there that he was supposed to remember?


	7. Chapter 7

It was a new day and the butler and housekeeper, having failed to meet each other in their many determined attempts, kept just missing each other, both of them growing ever more frustrated with their plans being foiled. It was as if something was working against them meeting, though neither of them suspected as much.

Violet Crawley shook her head. She had been part of the reason for Charles Carson to be here before he was needed, having known that Elsie Hughes would be called in to take care of fixing the travesty that was Sybil’s death. Her heart shuddered at the thought. She’d been through it once and dear god above she didn’t want to go through it again.

Being an immortal, the one called Ancient One – a term Violet sometimes detested – she often times hated that she could remember things that the time travelers fixed. Certain events weren’t that bad, others were terrible. She’d lived so many life times that she’d thought herself callused against losing someone she loved. She shook her head. How foolish.

Losing her husband, well, this one at least, hadn’t affected her much. They hadn’t been great loves. She shrugged. They hadn’t been anything more than a man and the woman he’d married to save his estate and provide an heir. She’d had lovers, so had he, though she’d been more discrete. Neither of them had cared. In the vernacular of the future, she’d been his trophy to strut out on his arm when they’d been invited to a ball or some other function that an Earl’s presence was required.

Violet hadn’t cared. Why would she? She’d given her husband a daughter and an heir, fulfilling the duty she had to him.

Losing Sybil, she closed her eyes. Losing the beloved young woman had devastated her. And now, here she was, living through this again, hoping that Elsie Hughes did what she always did and succeeded in fixing the wrong. All the while she herself was trying to fix another wrong that had been perpetrated on two people who remembered nothing of who they once were, who their true selves were even now.

Violet knew that once Elsie came face to face with Charles, they would both remember, or at least start to remember, who they truly were. They needed to remember, to be together so that the legend could come to pass.

She’d spent life times trying to find them, to work it out so they would be in the same place at the same time. It was now or spend another several life times trying again.

“Mama, what brings you by today?”

Violet looked up at her son as he came into the room. “Do I have to have a reason?”

Robert shook his head. “No, Mama. I’m just surprised to see you in the middle of the day.”

“Well, I’ve actually come to see how Sybil is doing and to see if what I’ve heard is true.”

Robert sat down across from his mother and gave her a questioning look. “What have you heard?”

“You’ve asked Sir Philip Tapsell to tend to Sybil? Have you lost your senses? He knows nothing of Sybil.”

“So I should let Clarkson tend to her? The same doctor that said Matthew would never walk again. The same doctor that missed Lavinia Swire’s case of Spanish flu?”

Violet shook her head. “The man didn’t miss that she had the Spanish flu, Robert. There were thousands that went just like she did. They were fine then they were dead. It was a horrible outbreak that took the young and healthy adults instead of the weaker and frail babies and elderly. As for Matthew, I wouldn’t say he misdiagnosed him. He explained adequately what happened. And I say, he was trying to keep them from getting their hopes up should Matthew never walk again. Besides, Cousin Isobel accepted what Clarkson said without question. Don’t you think if she’d thought he was wrong she would have called him out? I’ve told you what she did shortly after they moved here.”

Robert sighed and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I would still feel better if a doctor with Sir Phillip’s reputation was tending to Sybil.”

“So Sybil is more important than Cora was?” Violet asked as she stared at her son.

“Mama!” Robert huffed.

“Well?”

Robert shook his head and walked from the room mumbling and shaking his head.

Violet sighed, that hadn’t gone as she’d hoped. Her son was far too stubborn. She rolled her eyes. She’d like to blame it all on the boy’s father, but sadly most of it was from her.

She’d raised a fool.

A fool that was going to live with his daughter’s death for the rest of his life if Elsie Hughes didn’t have any more success than Violet herself had just had.

 

~*~

 

Sybil smiled tiredly at her grandmother when she sat down beside her. Granny was always more relaxed when it was just the two of them. If someone else were in the room, she knew that Violet would have sat down in a chair.

“How are you, my dear?”

“Tired, Granny. And,” she bit her lip.

“What is it?” Violet asked as she reached out and rested her hand over Sybil’s.

“Has Papa really decided that Dr. Clarkson isn’t going to take care of me anymore?”

Violet sighed as she squeezed her granddaughter’s hand. “I’ve tried to change his mind, my dear, but I wasn’t successful.”

Biting her lip, Sybil looked down at her grandmother’s hand resting over hers. “I don’t want it to happen again, Granny,” she breathed.

Violet blinked. “What?”

Looking back up at her grandmother, Sybil turned her hand and squeezed the older one. “I dreamed that I died after giving birth to a little girl. It was so very real.” Tilting her head to the side, she studied the older woman. “It did happen,” she whispered.

Violet looked down at their joined hands. She should have expected this. The girl had always been more sensitive to everything around her than anyone under this pile of brick and mortar’s roof. “Yes, it did. I’m so sorry.”

“Why are you sorry, Granny?”

“Because I tried to make your father see, to make him change his mind.”

“Granny?”

“Yes?”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve lived it all before, dearest Sybil.” Violet answered truthfully, knowing that anything less and Sybil would call her out on it.

“Will she be alright?”

Violet closed her eyes against the tears. “For a time.”

“Granny? What happens to my baby?”

Opening her eyes, Violet stared into her granddaughter’s dark gaze. “I’m going to fix this. Somehow, I promise.”

Sybil squeezed Violet’s hand as she let her head fall back on the pillow, her eyes closing in exhaustion. “Please, Granny,” she whispered as she drifted off to sleep.

Violet watched Sybil sleep for a few minutes, vowing silently to do whatever she had to do to fix this. She couldn’t bear the thoughts of watching this dear, brave girl die once again. She wasn’t sure her immortal self could withstand it – fearing it might just be the thing that would end her never-ending existence.


	8. Chapter 8

“Are you ready?” Mrs. Patmore asked as she stepped into Elsie’s sitting room.

Elsie fussed with her hat in the mirror. “No, I’m not, but I never will be so let’s go and get this over with.”

Mrs. Patmore nodded, worried for her friend and how tired she looked. “Have you been sleeping?”

Walking ahead of Mrs. Patmore, Elsie shook her head. “Not much.”

“Why didn’t you ask for a sleeping powder?”

“They don’t agree with me.” Elsie gave the easiest answer she could to the question.

“Surely there’s something.”

Elsie shook her head. “Not really, but it’s alright. Once I have an answer, no matter good or bad, I’ll sleep.”

Mrs. Patmore rolled her eyes. “You’ll sleep if it’s good.”

Elsie heard her mumble about putting something in her tea and she had to cough to cover up the sudden burst of hysterical laughter that tried to escape.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Elsie stood staring across the road at the hospital. “We can be sure of one thing…I won’t be cured by standing here.”

Mrs. Patmore nodded and simply smiled, not really having any words for her friend. Following her when she finally stepped out into the street, she kept an easy pace with the housekeeper, wondering if she should tell her that she knew who she was. She shook her head against the idea. What good would it do?

Stopping just inside the hospital, Elsie waited for a nurse to come over to them. “I have an appointment to see Dr. Clarkson,” she told the young woman then followed her, her heart rate quickening with each step she took down the hallway.

“Remember, you’re not alone.” Mrs. Patmore whispered as she brushed her hand against Elsie’s.

Sitting down on the bench outside the doctor’s office, Elsie looked at Mrs. Patmore. “I’m trying to remember that.”

“I’m surprised Mr. Carson wasn’t nosing about as we left.”

Elsie gave Mrs. Patmore a puzzled look. “Mr. Carson?”

Mrs. Patmore raised an eyebrow. “You know…large fellow. Booming voice. Great bushy eyebrows. Thinks he runs the downstairs but everyone knows it’s you. The butler of the house.”

“Oh yes.” Elsie shook her head…the butler she’d heard mentioned below stairs was Mr. Molesley. Something wasn’t right, but now wasn’t the time for that. “I’ve gone soft in the head, I suppose.”

“No. I’d say it’s the worry.”

“Might be,” she answered just as the door opened and the nurse appeared to signal she could come in. Standing up, Elsie took a deep breath then shook her head when Mrs. Patmore started to stand. “No,” she whispered and motioned for the cook to stay.

Mrs. Patmore watched Elsie walk through the door and disappear into the doctor’s office to face her diagnosis alone. Knowing what she knew about the housekeeper, she wasn’t really surprised. She _was_ surprised with the confusion about Mr. Carson. It was as if the woman had never seen him. Lord knows one didn’t forget a man like that if they’d ever met him.

 

~*~

 

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Hughes.”

Elsie sighed as she hung her head. She was so very tired and she could feel her control slipping over her powers. The last thing she needed was to cause that kind of chaos. Taking a deep breath, she managed to keep the tenuous grasp on her control. “What now?”

“More tests, I’m afraid. I’ll also need another sample of fluid.”

Nodding, she stood up. “Let me go get Mrs. Patmore. She’s waiting for me in the hall.”

“We don’t have to do this today. You can come back in the morning.”

“I’ve already asked for the afternoon off so we might as well go ahead with it.”

“I really am sorry. I was hoping that the one test would be enough.”

Elsie shook her head. “No need to apologize.” How could she tell him that she wasn’t surprised by it without giving herself away? She’d known his answer before he’d ever said the words. She really wished she could find a way to stop herself from reading people when they got too close or touched her. The doctor’s hand on her elbow had given her more information that she’d really wanted about the man and what he was going to say to her.

Dr. Clarkson studied the woman as she made her way from his office. There was something about her. Maybe she was one of the few Highland witches that some said existed, others denied. He’d always been one to believe that the witches existed, seeing too many things in his youth that no one could ever explain. Maybe that was why he could have sworn she knew what he was going to say before he said it. He didn’t know, all he knew was that there was something decidedly different about the housekeeper.

 

~*~

 

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Hughes.” Mrs. Patmore whispered as she watched her friend taking off her hat and coat.

“No need to be. There’s nothing to be done for it, and you apologizing for something no one has any control over,” she shook her head. “Well, it is what it is. Thank you for going with me. We’d best get back to our duties.”

Mrs. Patmore rolled her eyes and nodded. “We don’t want himself bellowing at us.”

Elsie smiled and nodded, going along with the other woman’s assessment of what the butler would do because she had no idea having never met the man.

“Will you sleep?”

Elsie shrugged. “It’s doubtful.”

Mrs. Patmore sighed as she walked out into the hall, pausing to wait for the housekeeper to join her. “Maybe I’ll sneak you something stronger than tea.”

“If the something is whiskey, I’ll be glad of it.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Mrs. Patmore called over her shoulder as she entered the kitchen.

Elsie shook her head as she walked down the corridor, putting her mind to other things. Namely the reason she was here.

The lord of the house was determined that the Harley Street doctor with the knighthood would see to his daughter, completely ignoring his mother’s words, his mind stubbornly set.

_Damned peerage mindset!_ Elsie fumed silently. Even before she’d met him when she’d gone to see him about her own health, she’d read up on Dr. Clarkson, knew of the things Lord Grantham had mentioned. She also knew that the Dowager Countess was correct in everything she said about the so called mistakes. Elsie also knew something that no one save Sir Philip Tapsell himself knew. Sybil’s death wasn’t the first that could be attributed to the man’s arrogance. There were three other women that had died the same type of deaths as Lady Sybil Branson.

If only she was in a social position to gather the needed information to help the Dowager in her pleas to her son, but Elsie knew that there was no way for a housekeeper to gather such things. She was sure the doctor had hidden his records of those women so well that he’d probably forgotten where they were. No matter. She’d do what she had to despite the pain it would cause her.

Hearing a great bellowing voice, she hurried toward the sound. No matter how determined she had been to meet the butler, things constantly kept happening to keep them apart. The young lady having false labor had only added to the chaos that seemed to rule the house since she set foot in it. Sometimes she’s sure she should have been sent here much further back in the timeline.

If she’d been sent in earlier, it might have been less chaotic. She shook her head. Well, not less chaotic as there’d been a wedding that had been planned up to the moment that the groom left the bride standing at the alter. Her heart hurt for the middle daughter of the house. She was a loner amongst them, and even more so because of what had happened. It had only added to the older sister being even more cruel.

Elsie was of the mind that Lady Mary Crawley needed a good swift boot in the arse to knock her down a peg or four. She was entirely too snooty for Elsie’s taste.  But she wasn’t here to fix the oldest daughter, or even the middle daughter, she was here to stop the youngest daughter from dying.

 

~*~

 

Charles heard the tinkling of the keys at the housekeeper’s waist, his ears picking up the different cadence in her steps once again. He’d thought maybe he’d misheard the first time, but each time thereafter had only convinced him that this couldn’t possibly be the same woman. There hadn’t been a change to the housekeeper because none of the staff were talking about it. Never mind the fact that he, as the head of the below stairs, would have been notified by the family of any such change.

So why were the footsteps different?

After trying unsuccessfully to meet the woman, Charles had nearly given up. Something always seemed to keep him from finding her. He’d hear her steps, start out after the sound and be stopped by someone needing his attention.

It was as if someone or something was trying to keep them apart.

But why would he need to be kept from meeting the housekeeper?

It made no sense to him.

His thoughts were disturbed by a loud crash, the sound of breaking glass reaching his ears. Growling, he made his way out of his pantry, bellowing as he came across the hall boys that had made the mess.

While he was shouting at the young boys, scolding them about breaking things that didn’t belong to them, he missed the woman coming down the stairs in his direction.

He missed her pause, the way her face went pale, the way she seemed to be frozen in place.

What he didn’t miss was the way things seemed to slow down around him, the way the ticking of the clock from the servant’s hall seemed to slow down to nothing.

Looking up, he saw the dust in the sunlight from the window, watched how it stopped, frozen in place. Turning, he saw the woman from his dreams, the woman he’d been trying to find for so many years.

“It’s you,” she breathed as she gripped the stair railing to keep herself upright.

The only thing Charles could do was whisper her words back at her, “It’s you.”


	9. Chapter 9

Charles shook his head to clear his muddled thoughts then frowned. “What do you mean?”

Elsie cocked her head, a frown on her own lips. “What do _you_ mean?”

Charles raised an eyebrow. “I’ve seen you in my dreams,” he answered.

Elsie blinked in surprise. “I’ve seen you in mine for as long as I can remember dreaming.”

“I don’t understand. I’ve done the same.”

Elsie shook her head. “I don’t understand, either.”

“Elsie Hughes,” he whispered her name then frowned again. “But how can you be here? You were lost after you broke through the barriers left behind by the Holocaust of twenty-three thirteen.”

Elsie felt her mouth drop open. “What? How do you know about that? It’s impossible,” she breathed. “It can’t be. You _can’t_ be.”

Truth dawned on Charles as his eyes grew wide. “You’re Óra,” he breathed, stunned by the look on her face and the way she shook, the way she seemed to collapse on the step behind her.

“What have you done to me? Are you Óra?” she asked, watching as the big man reacted much the way she had done, the wall stopping him from falling to the floor. As she continued to watch, she wondered if he was indeed Óra – was his birthmark burning? Were his knees weak? His chest tight?

“Are you a witch? What have you done?” Charles asked, his body reacting almost wildly to the sound of her voice saying the name of his people.

Elsie was a witch, but she’d not be telling him that, it made things too complicated. “You’ve said what I was, and Laird above don’t say it again. I don’t know what’s happening, but I don’t want to experience _that_ again. Now answer me, are you Óra? And how do you know who I am?”

Charles felt the reaction again, his birthmark seeming to burn and come to life. “I’ll answer your question, but I must ask that you not say the name again. I don’t relish the experience, either. And yes, I am. I don’t understand what’s happening. All around us seems to have been frozen.”

Elsie knew what was happening, though she was helpless to stop it. “Maybe it’s what happens when there are two of us present in the same timeline, in the same room. That would explain why I’ve had such a time meeting you.”

“Do you think it’s AI that’s been interfering?” Charles frowned. “But if he didn’t want us to meet, why would he have sent us into the same timeline?”

Elsie shrugged. “I’m here to stop the youngest daughter’s death. What about you?”

“I’m supposed to stop the death of the young Mr. Crawley.”

Elsie frowned. “But that’s over a year away. Why would they send you in so early?”

Charles rolled his eyes. “It wouldn’t be the first time I was sent in at the wrong time.” Looking around, he noticed that time seemed to still be frozen. “And what do we do about this? We can’t have this happening all the time.”

“Maybe we should go into my sitting room.” Elsie suggested, sure that once she was closed away things would go back to normal.

Charles shrugged. “I don’t see how that will help, but if you say so.” He held out his hand and waited for her to lead the way.

Elsie sighed, if only he knew the truth, but she could never tell him. Kenda and her mother had been the only ones to ever know the truth. Not even AI knew that she was also a Highland witch or that she had some sort of strange control over time. That would probably blow his circuitry to kingdom come.

 

~*~

 

Elsie was still confused as to how Charles had known her name. They’d gone to her sitting room to continue their discussion, but things had gotten very chaotic outside her door as time reset and everyone seemed to be confused as to what had happened.

Charles had shook his head, looking at her with a skeptical look before making his way out of the room, never saying a word. She’d known that he would find it odd that she knew what would happen if they were closed off from the others, but she still had no intentions of telling him. That would only lead to more questions – questions she had no answers for.

Hearing a knock on her door, she called out for the person to enter, surprised at who it was on the other side of the door. “Mr. Branson? What may I do to help you?”

Tom sighed as he closed the door behind him. Sitting in the chair nearest the door, he looked down at his hands. “I,” he started but paused and fidgeted with a string at the bottom of his waistcoat.

“What is it?” Elsie asked, her voice soft.

“My family, Mrs. Hughes.”

“Are in Ireland, I know. What about it?”

“They’ll never get to see our baby. My mother will never be able to hold her grandchild.”

Elsie felt her heart breaking for the young man. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Branson. I wish I could do something.”

Tom looked up at her and smiled slightly. “Could you,” he started then paused and swallowed before continuing. “Would you let me come to you and talk to you? Be a sort of stand in for my mother? You’ve always been so very kind to me.”

“What would your mother say to a Scottish woman standing in for her?” Elsie asked with a raised eyebrow, wishing she knew just what memories the young man had of her that made him think she’d be a good stand in for his own mother.

Tom laughed. “She’d have my head until she met you, then she’d understand. You’re like her in some ways.”

“I’ll do what I can, Mr. Branson, but you must remember – you belong with them upstairs now. You mustn’t do anything to upset them, and visiting the downstairs would upset them if it’s a frequent thing.”

Tom sighed as he looked down at his shoes. “I don’t belong, Mrs. Hughes. That’s the crux of it. They all dislike me for my mistakes. I’ve lost my home and I,” his voice cracked as he lifted his gaze back up to Elsie, his eyes filled with tears. “I’m going to lose my Sybil. What will I do then? I don’t belong here.”

Elsie was surprised at the young man’s words. “What do you mean, lose Lady Sybil?”

Tom shook his head. “I can’t explain it. It’s just that, I’ve had a dream. We have a baby girl and we’re so very happy but then,” he choked back a sob. “But then Sybil can’t breathe and…”

“Shh, lad.” Elsie breathed as she reached out and covered Tom’s hands with hers. “It was just a dream. Your lass won’t leave you. You and she are going to grow old together and have more bairns. Some day you’ll get to go home to Ireland, but until then, you’ll not always feel so out of place here. It’s going to be alright, Mr. Branson. Take the word of your Scottish mother.” She smiled when he half chuckled and looked up at her.

Turning his hands over, Tom squeezed the smaller ones that were so very warm. “Thank you.”

“No need for thanks. Now, go on. I’m sure Lady Sybil is missing you.”

Tom stood and shook his head. “I’m sure she’s sleeping. She’s so very tired. She’s been talking a bit out of her head.”

Elsie felt her heart begin to hammer. She knew that the young woman talking out of her head had nothing to do with being tired. “Go on then. Maybe she’ll rest if you’re with her.”

Tom nodded and opened the door, turning before he left, “I do thank you, Mrs. Hughes. You’ve done just what my mother would have.”

Elsie watched him go, knowing that if she didn’t change the outcome of the next hours, the young man would never return home and would always be a bit broken. His heart was well and truly lost to the young woman, much as the young woman’s was lost to her young man. One without the other would always be broken. They were always meant to be together. There was always supposed to be more than just one child – one motherless child.

She rubbed her temples, remnants of pain beginning to trickle in from her involuntary suspension of time earlier. She hoped that meeting Charles Carson again wouldn’t cause the same reaction as that could be problematic for more than just the fact that it would cause her pain. If it continued to happen, it would cause questions to be asked that neither of them were allowed to answer.

She still had issues with why they were both here. It was strictly forbidden for more than one Óra to be present in a timeline at a time. Yet both she and Charles were here. And how in the world had AI been so far off? Of course, now that she knew there were two of them in one timeline, the discrepancies made more sense. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she’d been in the timeline that had been unchanged to reflect Charles Carson as the butler while he’d been in the one unchanged to reflect her as the housekeeper. When she’d looked up and seen him and involuntarily frozen time, it had merged their timelines. Rubbing her temples again, she groaned. Heaven above, she hated time messes.

Going back to what Mr. Carson had told her about why he was there, she recalled what she’d read of the young heir to the Gratham title. Matthew Crawley had come close to dying during the war, but a young footman had saved him which negated the need for outside help. She knew that the young man would die nearly a year and a half from now, but nothing serious happens between now and then. At least not to Matthew Crawley.

The mix up couldn’t possibly have been between Sybil Branson’s death and Matthew Crawley’s – what in the world could the butler do to stop that from happening?

None of it made sense.

She had tried to see what had happened, but something was blocking her, which told her that something else was at play.


	10. Chapter 10

Charles had contacted AI, but had gotten nowhere. The damned thing kept insisting he was where he was supposed to be. They’d argued for over an hour before Charles had gotten so annoyed that he’d disconnected and went back to the house, mumbling as he went. He couldn’t possibly be where he was supposed to be if the man he was here to save from death didn’t come anywhere near death for over a year.

Blasted contraption!

When he got back, he’d have to see about having the thing tested to make sure it wasn’t malfunctioning.

He huffed.

That’s what they got for relying on artificial intelligence.

“Never makes mistakes, my arse.” Charles grumbled.

He hadn’t even brought up the fact that there was another Óra present, he’d been too afraid it would fry the damn thing’s circuits beyond repair.

If he had mentioned Elsie, Charles would have learned that she wasn’t there by order of AI. AI had no idea that there were two Óra present in the timeline, that he’d unwittingly broken a cardinal rule of time travel.

Of course, even if Elsie hadn’t been there, the rule would still have been broken, though no one save for the Ancient One would have known because no one knew where she’d disappeared to.

Charles surely didn’t suspect that there were three of them in the same timeline, much less in the same house as he made his way inside in time to hear that the Dowager Countess’ car was pulling up the drive.

“I’ll tend to it, Mr. Barrow.”

“Yes, Mr. Carson.” Thomas answered just barely managing to hold his snarl in check.

Charles shook his head as he hurried up the stairs. He really didn’t like that young man. He was always plotting, hiding about so that he could catch snippets of conversations he wasn’t to be privy to. Thomas Barrow wasn’t the first person of his type that Charles had come across – cruel and sneaky, trying to get ahead at the expense of others.

He and Elsie would have to be careful of where they talked about certain things. If Thomas learned of them, death and being in the wrong part of a timeline would be the least of their worries.

 

~*~

 

Richard Clarkson was tired which only made his irritation more pronounced. Why did no one want to listen to him? He’d known Sybil Branson from the first moment he’d heard her heart beating within her mother’s womb. He’d been there the day she took her first breath. He’d been the one to gently clean her and prepare her to meet her mother, not his nurse as was usual. Lady Sybil had chosen the middle of the night to make her appearance and he’d been roused from his sleep with no time to call for a nurse or the midwife.

He could still remember that night with perfect clarity.

Lady Gratham had always been very lucky in childbirth, always seeming to have an easy go of it. But not with Lady Sybil. The labor hadn’t lasted as long as it had with the eldest two daughters, but it had been more trying and difficult on the woman. Thinking back on it, he shouldn’t have been surprised as Lady Grantham had more trouble during the pregnancy than she’d had with the other two. He’d had to place her on bedrest six months into the pregnancy which had made the woman terribly irritable with him.

He laughed when he recalled her looking at him bashfully after the birth, apologizing to him as she held her baby to her, thanking him for forcing her to take to her bed and standing his ground even when she was so very hateful to him because of it.

He had simply smiled and told her that he was used to it – she wasn’t the first woman to be angry with him for confining her to bed, nor would she be the last. What he hadn’t told her was that the men were often just as angry, if not more so, because their wives worked the farms along side them in some cases and with her confined to bed, the man was left to do it all himself.

A hardship especially during harvest.

Now here he was being replaced by an egotistical man that knew nothing of Lady Sybil’s medical history. And why?

“Because he’s a damned knight that practices on bloody Harley Street! That makes him a much better doctor of course!” He shouted as he threw his tea cup across the room, watching as it shattered against the wall.

Isobel, who had opened the door to his office in time to see him chuck the cup against the wall, halted in her steps as she watched the man. She felt a stirring in her heart at the pain she could see on his face, pain that would have appeared as nothing more than anger to anyone else.

She knew he was angry, too, but it was more pain at the thought of what would happen to the youngest Crawley, a girl that she knew the doctor held close to his heart. She’d watched him work with Lady Sybil when she’d been Nurse Crawley during the war. Isobel had heard him remark on several occasions that out of all of the young nurses that had come through Downton Cottage Hospital during the war, Nurse Crawley had been their best.

Isobel had whole heartedly agreed.

Lady Sybil Crawley was nothing like her sisters. The fact that she was now Sybil Branson, wife of an Irishman who started off as the family’s chauffer, was only one thing that proved her difference.

She’d grown past her upbringing. Sybil wasn’t just the daughter of an Earl. She’d made something of herself. She had skills that she could use to help others.

True, Edith had learned to drive, had helped on a farm during the war, but she was still more limited that Sybil.

Isobel didn’t even want to think of her daughter-in-law. She loved that Matthew was happy, but heaven above, Mary was all aristocrat with no skills outside of those that had been deemed appropriate for her to find a man to be a wife to. The girl couldn’t even cook. She knew that Mary had helped with Matthew when he’d been brought in after being injured during the war, but it was only because it was Matthew.

Would the girl have lifted her dainty hands to help with someone else?

Isobel doubted it.

Sybil had thought nothing of it.

Isobel had watched the young woman fight against her own need to be sick as she helped clean wounds that reeked of infection, showing a fortitude Isobel was sure the young woman had gotten from her grandmothers. After having met Martha Levinson, and knowing Violet, Isobel hadn’t been so surprised at Sybil’s difference from her sisters.

Sybil was the perfect blend of her mother’s Americanism and her father’s stiff upper lip British attitude.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Isobel moved out of the doorway, closing the door quietly behind her before making her way over to where Richard knelt picking up the broken pieces of the tea cup.

Hearing him hiss, she knelt down beside him and gently took his hand. Looking at the sliver of china buried in his finger, Isobel clicked her tongue at the blood that trickled down onto her pristine apron. “These are surgeon’s hands, you must be careful of them. The surgeon might need them,” she whispered as she turned to look at him, their faces close, breath’s mingling.

“The surgeon says he isn’t much, it won’t matter.”

Isobel’s heart hurt at the dullness of his tone, and the paleness of the grey-blue eyes as they looked at her. “The nurse says the surgeon is wrong. He’s everything, it _will_ matter.”

Richard looked away. “I’m bleeding on your apron. I’m sorry.” He pulled his hand away and stood, bending to help Isobel.

Isobel took Richard’s hand back in hers after she’d righted herself. “I’m the nurse, let me tend to your finger.”

“I can do it. I wouldn’t want to take you away from what you were doing.”

“What I was doing, was coming to check on the doctor. The nurses are all worried about him. It seems they’ve all noticed how different he’s been the last few days.”

“And why are you the one to come see about me? Surely that should be the head nurse’s job.”

“Because I am the one that volunteered. Because,” Isobel whispered as she lifted her hand to cup his cheek. “Because I am the one that’s stood beside her husband when he went through something much the same. I’m the only one that knows your struggle. The other’s felt it best for me to talk to you. They all believe in you, Richard. They wanted me to make sure you knew that.” Caressing her thumb over his cheekbone, Isobel smiled. “The family is wrong, Richard. I know that you are trying to mind your place, but don’t. Forget that they’re above you in social status. You’re a doctor. Your ability to save lives puts you far above any of them. Fight for her. I’ll fight with you if you want me to. Don’t let this make you question yourself.” Finished with her speech, Isobel gently went about removing the sliver from Richard’s finger.

Richard sucked in a quick breath when Isobel pulled the sharp piece of china from his finger, more of his blood spilling onto her apron. “I’m afraid I owe you a new apron.”

“Don’t ignore what I’ve said, Richard. Damn my apron. You mustn’t let them win. If you think Sybil would be better off here, order the ambulance and just move her, the family’s permission or no. Talk to Tom. Tell him everything. He’ll listen, Richard, and he’s all that matters. If Sybil is coherent enough, talk to Tom in front of her. She’ll know and trust you.” Bandaging his finger, Isobel looked back up at her friend, the man she was slowly losing her heart to, and held his gaze. “I think you’re right, if that means anything to you.”

“It means more than you know, Isobel.” Richard whispered. His gaze was caught in hers, the warm brown of her eyes seeming like melted caramel to him as he slowly leaned toward her, titling his head so that he could press his lips to hers.

Isobel hummed into the kiss. It had been so very long since she’d felt a man’s lips on her own that she’d almost forgotten the thrill of it. This man was dangerous to her heart, but the silly thing didn’t seem to realize it as it beat wildly in her chest in reaction to Richard’s arms pulling her closer.

Oh boy.

She was in so much trouble.


	11. Chapter 11

“Mr. Branson, she needs to be moved to the hospital. If I don’t do a caesarean section now,” Richard looked to Sybil who was watching him intently.

“Oh stop worrying them over nothing!” Sir Philip Tapsell hissed.

Richard scowled at the other man as he came further into the room. “It isn’t nothing! Her feet are swelled, she’s talking out of her head, amongst other things. If I don’t take the baby now we could lose them both!”

The argument continued as Sybil went in and out, finally crying out as her labor intensified past the point of no return, making the argument a moot point.

“Doctor!” Tom yelled. “Sybil!”

Richard immediately turned to look at the young woman. “Lady Sybil, do you know who I am?” he asked as he lent over her.

“Of course I do, Dr. Clarkson. I’m sorry. I seem to have fallen asleep. Where is my uniform?”

“It’s alright, Nurse.” Richard assured her in the voice he’d used when she worked for him. Turning to Tom, he gripped the young man’s arms. “Go and find Mrs. Hughes and ask someone to phone Mrs. Crawley. Hurry, Mr. Branson.”

Tom nodded and hurried out of the room, bumping into his in-laws on the way. Pausing in the doorway, he turned back and looked at the other doctor who had moved toward Sybil. “Stay away from her,” he told the man, his Irish brogue thicken his words.

“How dare you speak to me that way!” Philip Tapsell scowled at the man he thought beneath him.

“I’m her husband. I’ll speak to you anyway I see fit.”

“Go on, Mr. Branson. I’ll see that he doesn’t touch her. I promise.” Richard smiled at the young man then turned his attention back to Sybil. “Nurse Crawley, you’re slacking on the job.”

Sybil roused and looked up at Richard. “Dr. Clarkson? Why are you calling me Nurse Crawley? I’m Mrs. Branson now.”

Richard could see Tapsell moving toward the bed again and stood up to look back at him. “I believe you were told to stay away from her.”

“I take orders from no one, especially not an Irish revolutionary that married above himself.”

“Stop it!” Cora shouted. “Robert, get that man out of here!”

“I won’t. He knows what he’s doing.”

Elsie entered the room just in time to see Cora glare at Robert and Sir Philip Tapsell try to get closer to Sybil. She knew the time had come, that it was past their chance to get Sybil to the hospital to save her.

If the girl was going to live, Elsie would have to use everything she had. Closing her eyes, she let her mind go out, reaching into the minds of those around her. Getting what she needed, she opened her eyes and moved further into the room. “You asked for me, Dr. Clarkson?”

“I’m going to need your help, Mrs. Hughes.”

“Whatever you need. I’ve had Mrs. Patmore put water on to boil and I’ve sent one of my maids to fetch extra towels and linens.”

“Thank you. Can you help me clear the room?”

Elsie nodded then smiled at the Lord and Lady of the house. “Please. I promise I’ll stay right here with her, but won’t you do as the doctor has asked?”

“Not unless the doctor himself leaves and lets the doctor I brought in take over.” Robert scowled.

Elsie saw Tapsell smile triumphantly and fought the urge to growl. Walking over to Tapsell, she whispered something to him as she lightly brushed her hand over his arm.

Richard saw the action, watched as Tapsell’s face paled just before the man excused himself and hurried from the room. Whatever the woman had said had made the man nearly wet himself. And what about that light brushing of her hand over his arm? Mrs. Hughes wasn’t known for being touchy feely.

“Now, will the two of you please do as the doctor asked?” Elsie turned her attention back to the Granthams.

Robert frowned at his housekeeper. “What did you do? Why did the man rush out of here?”

Sybil’s cries stopped Elsie from having to answer as she rushed to the bed and held the young woman’s hand. “Easy, Lass. Easy. Dr. Clarkson is going to take care of you.”

Richard looked up at Elsie, his eyes telling her what he couldn’t voice out loud. If this went on, the young woman was going to die horribly.

Isobel rushed into the room and took in the scene on the bed then turned to Robert and Cora. “Out. Now,” she commanded as she gently pushed them toward the door. “Sybil doesn’t need an audience. Go wait with Tom in the library. We’ll send Mrs. Hughes with news as soon as we have any.”

Elsie thanked heaven above that Isobel had come in when she did. She’d already used her powers of persuasion on Tapsell and she was feeling the affects. She would be of no use if she was rendered helpless by the pain.

“Now, what do you need?”

“I need her to be at the hospital so that I can perform a proper caesarean section. If she delivers,” Richard looked at Isobel. “There was protein in her urine, Isobel,” he whispered. “Look at her ankles. And she’s been out of her head. She thought she was still Nurse Crawley earlier.”

Isobel felt her heart drop. She knew what all of those things meant. “We can do the surgery here. I’ll help you.”

“I don’t have what I need.” Richard hissed.

“Do we have time for me to go and get what you need?”

“No!”

Elsie bit her lip, this was it. This was the moment where only she could fix this. “Go, Mrs. Crawley. You’ll have the time.”

Richard looked up at Elsie and finally understood that what he’d suspected about the woman weeks ago was true. “You _are_ a Highland witch,” he breathed.

“I am.” Elsie didn’t bother to argue. He was Scottish after all. And if he only thought her a witch, she wouldn’t have to explain the other. “Now go, Mrs. Crawley. You’ll have all the time you need. Just know that once you return, I’ll be of no help.”

Isobel merely nodded and hurried from the room. She’d save her questions for later.

Richard watched Elsie as she closed her eyes. He felt the shift in the air, felt Sybil’s thrashing slowly fade to nothing. His eyes saw the shadows moving in the room come to a halt. He could even feel his own heart beat slowing down. “No Highland witch I’ve ever heard of could do what you’re doing. What didn’t you tell me?” he whispered, sure that there was more to this woman than she’d admitted.

“I am Óra, Dr. Clarkson. I was sent here to prevent her death. She died on this day before. Her death was never supposed to happen.” Elsie felt the pain begin to set in and stumbled back, bumping into a chair. “I will do what I can to give you all the help I’m able, but the pain is beginning and it will soon overwhelm me. I’ll try to hold on until the babe is safely delivered and Lady Sybil is resting peacefully, but I don’t know if I will be able. If I collapse, pay me no mind and make sure Mrs. Crawley does the same. Lady Sybil is the priority.”

“Óra.” Richard breathed. He’d heard of the immortal people of time, but he’d never thought to meet one. Or, rather, never thought to know it if he met one. They moved about in time, changing things that had gone wrong, without ever letting anyone know who they truly were. “And a Highland witch?”

Elsie nodded. “Yes. I am the only one of my kind. My mother was a Highland witch. When I was born, because I was one of the immortal ones, I took on all of the powers that would have been spread out between my sisters and I. I am the last of the Hughes witches.”

“You carry your mother’s last name then.”

“I do.” Elsie answered. “It is the way of things.”

Richard nodded as he rested on the edge of the bed, Sybil frozen by whatever Elsie was doing with time. “Why have you not suspended me along with everything else?”

“Because you need to be able to do the surgery as soon as Mrs. Crawley arrives with your instruments. This room is the only one in this bubble of suspension. The rest of the house is moving about as it was.”

“Can all Óra control time? Is that why they travel the timelines?”

“No.” Elsie answered. She’d give him all the answers she could, knowing that he would forget everything that happened after she had returned to her own timeline. “I seem to be the only one. I can’t explain why. Maybe it’s because I have the powers of the Hughes witches, I don’t know. I only know that I can control time but at a cost.”

“What does it do to you?”

“Pain, Dr. Clarkson. Excruciating pain that leaves me helpless. I was in bed for four days after my last use of this power, and it was nothing as it has been this time.”

Isobel rushed back into the room, everything Richard would need carefully packed in his extra doctor’s bag. Stopping when she realized something was different, she looked at Sybil and saw that she wasn’t moving. “I’m too late,” she breathed.

“No.” Richard assured her. “Close the door. I’ll explain as we go. We have to hurry. Mrs. Hughes can’t go on much longer.”

Closing the door, Isobel helped Richard prepare then prepared herself before turning to prepare Sybil. Having the young woman as prepped as they could to perform surgery in a bedroom instead of a sterile operating room, they set about their work.

Richard explained what was going on as he carefully performed the procedure that he hoped would save the lives of the young woman he’d come to care for and her baby.

Isobel watched his hands move. They were sure and gentle as he lifted the baby from its mother’s womb, handing it over to her as she held out the warmed towel. “A girl,” she breathed. She’d heard all that he said about Mrs. Hughes, though she was having trouble wrapping her mind around it all.

An Óra, here in their midst.

And a powerful one at that.

She’d never heard of one that could control time as Mrs. Hughes seemed to be doing just now. As she stood up with the baby in her hands to take her over to gently bathe her, she cast a glance at Elsie and watched as the woman dug her fingernails into her hands. “Richard, Mrs. Hughes.”

Richard briefly glanced up at Elsie then turned his attention back to his suturing. “She told me she would eventually collapse and that I was to worry only about Lady Sybil and the baby. We’ll tend to her as soon as we can.”

Isobel nodded as she returned her attention the baby. “Oh hush now. It’s alright. I’m your Cousin Isobel and we’re going to get you tidied up so that you can meet your father. You’re a beauty, you are.”

Richard, came up next to Isobel, grabbing a towel and washing his hands in the second basin of warm water. “Much like her mother was.”

“How is she?”

“I think she’ll be fine. Mrs. Hughes’ hold on time has lapsed and Sybil is breathing on her own. We can only wait and hope now.”

“Would you like to go tell the family?”

Richard shook his head. “No. Let me finish with the lassie. You can go down to the family.”

“If you’re worried about how they’ll treat you, then don’t be. Once they see that you’ve saved Sybil, you’ll be their hero.”

“But we don’t know that she’ll be alright. And it wasn’t really me. Mrs. Hughes saved them.”

Isobel wiped her hands and looked across the room at the woman who was nothing more than a limp figure in a chair. “Will she be alright?”

“I don’t know. She said that the last time she was in bed for four days.”

“We’ll have to take care of her. It’s the least we can do for what she’s done.”

“We will. Go on now. Mr. Branson has probably paced a hole in front of the fire.”

Isobel laughed softly at that. “More likely Robert did the pacing. Tom is probably staring out the windows.”

Richard nodded the turned his full attention back to finishing up with the baby. “There’s a wee lassie. Just like your mother. She was very upset with me when I bathed her the first time.”

Isobel felt her heart melting as she watched Richard tenderly caring for the newborn. He was an amazing man. She shook her head. Heaven help her, she’d completely lost her heart to him.


	12. Chapter 12

Elsie felt herself being moved and cried out at the pain it caused. “Please,” she begged.

Richard felt his heart ache at the pain he could hear in her voice. “I’m sorry, but I knew you wouldn’t want to be left in here when the family comes to see Lady Sybil and the babe. Should I leave you?”

“The dressing room,” she managed to mumble.

Richard lifted her into his arms and carried her through to the small room, gently laying her down on the single bed in the corner. “Isobel will stay with you and then after I’ve sent the family on to bed, we’ll tend to you.”

“Mmm,” was all she could manage.

Richard watched Elsie as she bit her lip to keep from crying out again. “Is there anything I can do now?”

“Bottle of Scotch?” Elsie muttered.

Richard chuckled, “Not on me, but I can get you one, or I can give you a sedative. Maybe some morphine?”

Elsie shook her head. “Can’t.”

“Then Scotch it is. I’ll tell Isobel and she’ll see to it.”

Elsie nodded and tried to speak, but the pain was too much and she could feel something happening with her birthmark that felt like someone was trying to cut it out of her skin.

Richard felt horrible not being able to do anything for her, but she’d said that the things he’d offered weren’t an option. He didn’t know if it was because they simply wouldn’t work, or she was allergic to them, but they were all he had. “I promise Isobel will be in as soon as she can.”

Elsie merely groaned her acknowledgement. Her mind was filled with nothing but the pain. She’d never been this affected before, but she should have realized that this time would be far different than any other. She’d had to use every power she possessed to save this young woman, a first for her. She’d used her power over time before, which was usually what caused her pain, and she’d used her Highland witch powers, but never everything together.

What had she done?

 

~*~

 

Elsie had drank the bottle of Scotch Isobel brought her and then carefully headed to her attic room to shed the restricting and painful corset that put too much pressure on her body. Dressed in nothing but her robes from home, she fled out into the night, knowing that something was going to happen that she couldn’t let affect the house.

The Scotch was wearing off, and the pain was growing intense again. Seeing the stone gazebo, Elsie hurried toward it, stumbling and crying out as she fell against the cool steps. Pulling herself up into the structure, she rested against one of the benches, her robes slipping down off her shoulders, exposing her bare back to the night air.

Her cries filled the silence around her as the pain she was in completely took over, blocking out everything around her, cocooning her in its solitary grasp.

Charles rushed toward the blue light he could see shimmering in the same direction the anguished cries were coming from. Dear heaven above, what was happening? It sounded as though someone was being ripped apart, and as he neared the stone gazebo, he had to squint to be able to see through the blinding light.

“Elsie,” he breathed when he realized the cries were those of the woman he’d met but just a few short days ago. His eyes grew wide when he saw where the light was coming from, the birthmark on her back raised and seeming to be alive as the blue light swirled around the planet that sat in the middle of her back. The sun was burning red, the moon burning white, all of them causing the woman great pain.

Before Charles realized what he was doing, he was walking closer, his hand outstretched, pausing before coming to rest on the planet. His touch was like a shock, Elsie’s back arched, her head fell forward, the cries dying in her throat.

Suddenly everything around them stopped, images flooded their minds of things they’d lost in their fall to Earth. Everything about who they were was there now, explaining why they had been connected to one another in dreams for all of their lives.

They were lovers in another life.

They were X’ronos and Máni.

Time.

Moon.

Meant to be together but kept apart by the sun.

Sól.

Their ancient enemy.

Drawing his hand away, Charles knelt next to Elsie and lifted her face in his hands.

“My love,” he whispered as he caressed the tears from her cheeks.

“Máni,” she breathed. “All along it’s you who have haunted my dreams. You, Charles Carson. My Máni.”

“I think I like my human form’s name. The r’s are rather lilting as they roll off your tongue.”

Elsie smiled as she let her head rest against his hand. “So long, my love. So long I’ve searched for you, not understanding who you really were, only knowing that you haunted my dreams from the first dream I can remember.”

“Shh.” Charles gently covered her lips with his thumb. “Let me take you somewhere to rest. You’ve done what you came here to do, my love. Lady Sybil and her baby are safe.”

“I’m so very tired.” Elsie sighed as she let herself go limp, feeling Charles gently lifting her into his strong arms.

“That’s it. Just let yourself rest. You’re safe. I’ll get us home as quickly as AI can pull us out.”

“You can’t leave, my love. And I can’t be pulled out with you. We don’t know what our being here has done, but I do know that if we’re pulled out together,” she shook her head. “We have to leave one at a time. I’ll go first. You must stay and see to your task.”

“But Elsie, that’s a year away. I can’t let you go again.”

“You’ll know where to find me now, Charles. We’ve remembered who we are. I’ll no longer be hidden from you.”

Charles paused outside a small cottage. “It’s the old hunter’s cottage. It’s where I’ve stored my things that can’t be seen in this timeline.”

Elsie looked around the small one room cottage as Charles walked to the bed, gently placing her on the soft mattress. “How did you know my name? Who I was?”

“What do you mean? The same way you knew me - by touch.”

She shook her head. “No. When you first saw me you knew my name. You recognized me. How? I’ve always made sure no one remembers me after I’ve been brought in to fix an event. Part of my time manipulation.”

“Well someone didn’t forget you. My prior assignment sent me to a meeting with a man running a museum in the future. Your painting is hanging in that museum. It has a plaque with your name and what you did in twenty-three thirteen.”

Elsie frowned. “I don’t understand. No one from that time should know my name or remember what I look like. No one.”

“I don’t know, Elsie. All I know is what I saw. I can tell you where to go if you want to see for yourself after you’ve gone home to rest.” Caressing her hair from her face, he smiled tenderly at her. “Do you have someone waiting to tend to you?”

“Kenda,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes. “But she’s gone now. She told me she would die while I was here.”

“How long has she been your caretaker?”

“She’s so much more, Charlie,” Elsie whispered.

Charles smiled. “Charlie, I like that.”

“Less formal that Charles.” Elsie sighed. “Lay with me?”

“I can’t, my love. Not now. I have to return to the house, but I promise I’ll be back as soon as possible. For now, rest. Are you still in pain?”

“No. Your touch took it away.”

“Hmm. Then it’s a good thing that I found you.”

“Oh yes. Nothing has ever been able to take away the pain. A bottle or two of Scotch dulls it enough that I can rest. When I sleep, it’s usually for days. I don’t know what will happen this time.”

“No matter. I’ll take care of you.”

“Charles,” she reached out and clasped his hand. “Dr. Clarkson and Mrs. Crawley know that I’m Óra. I couldn’t do what I did without them learning what I am.”

“It’s alright. I’ll be careful. I’ll let them know I know what you are, but I won’t let them know who I am. I’m not sure how well that would go over with AI. I can’t make people forget who I am.”

“I can make them forget before I leave, if they learn who you are.”

“I’ll feel it out.” Leaning forward, Charles pressed a soft kiss to her warm lips. “Rest, my love.” Whispering the rest of what he wanted her to know in the language of their past, he watched as her eyes began to glow, the planet she once was gleaming in their depths.

Elsie whispered her own feelings in their long forgotten language, the accent of her human form making the words even more beautiful to Charles’ ear.

Charles watched Elsie slowly drift to sleep then moved to cover her with the blankets before bending to place a kiss on her cool brow. “Never again, my love. We’ll never forget who we truly are.”


	13. Chapter 13

“Damn it!” Sir Richard Carlisle growled as he collapsed back in his chair. They’d found each other, he could feel the shift in the world around him. He’d also seen the announcement about the birth of Lord and Lady Grantham’s first grandchild, and knew that one of them had been involved in changing the young woman’s fate.

X’ronos, he presumed was responsible, though he wasn’t sure just which human she was. That had always been his problem, he couldn’t remember from one time finding her to the next. Damned time and her manipulation of it. He’d tracked her using events in time that he knew the Óra would want changed, deleting those that were easy cases, and only traveling to the ones he was sure she would be needed to fix. He knew he’d found her, because he had records that stated as much, but in all of them, her name was gone. He knew that he’d seen her, yet he had no memory recall of her image.

He knew that he’d written her name, and captured her image, but she somehow always erased every trace of her presence, with few exceptions. She’d left a bit in the history books about the woman that lead the barrier break after the Holocaust, though all that could be found was just a description of what she’d done, but nothing about who she was or what she looked like. Those that were there couldn’t even tell her name or anything else about her when asked.

He supposed that’s what one got for tangling with time personified, but it was getting quite annoying when even technology from far into the future wasn’t free from her manipulation.

He had finally discovered just who Máni was so he was able to keep track of him relatively easily, but the only way he’d ever had of knowing if X’ronos and Máni had met was what was happening now.

His heart was racing, his blood near boiling.

“Sir, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Aggie. I’ll be leaving and going home. If anything spectacular happens, I can be reached there.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Carlisle watched the woman scurry off, wondering what in the world he’d been thinking when he took her on as his secretary. Then he rolled his eyes – he knew exactly what he’d been thinking.

She’d be a good bed warmer.

And she was.

But he wasn’t interested in that right now.

He needed to get home to his hidden room, to the instruments he needed to see if he could reverse the change. He hated when they were able to change the things he’d been responsible for.

He’d been especially proud of this one.

When he’d been in this timeline before, he’d ensured that the youngest daughter of the house would die and he’d married the oldest daughter in the process. But this time, he hadn’t managed to marry the oldest daughter so he hadn’t had any influence in the house to keep the youngest daughter from being saved.

He’d enjoyed manipulating the buffoon of an Earl into believing that his family were all wrong when they insisted that Dr. Clarkson should be the one to tend to Lady Sybil. And the doctor brought in to replace him had been easy to get to do his bidding, so many hidden skeletons in the man’s closet, that one mention of the names of the women that had died, and Carlisle had Sir Philip Tapsell sitting dandily in his pocket.

Carlisle grinned, he had quite a few people sitting dandily in his pockets just in this timeline alone. So many secret affairs, many with the same sex, and he had them all just where he wanted them.

He’d spent a lot of years, the years before he’d figured out just who he’d banished Máni into, jumping around in time messing events up so that they went the wrong way, causing wars and famines in some cases when there were none before. He supposed his proudest achievement was the Holocaust of twenty-three thirteen, though someone had come along and changed its outcome.

He’d meant for women to be extinct, or at the very least slaves, but then along came the woman that decided to break through all of the barriers and the next thing you know, women outnumbered men once again.

He was fairly certain he knew just who the woman had been.

Bloody X’ronos.

Why did he have to lust after Time?

And why the hell did she and Máni have to wind up as human immortals?

He hadn’t been so lucky and knew that his time was running out.

Traveling through time and trying to contain the power of the sun had damaged his human form, leaving him running short on time to figure out a way to keep X’ronos and Máni apart for good. He’d thought he’d managed that when he’d banished Máni to earth, but somehow X’ronos had found out and followed. The only good thing that came of it was that they lost all memory of who they truly were once they took human form.

He’d been satisfied with that until they’d nearly come close to meeting each other and he realized that if they ever met, ever touched, they would remember everything.

So, when they were a thousand years old, Sol had taken human form and at the age of eight he had left home, traveling in time trying to find out the identities of his enemies, messing about with events as he went – changing things for the bad instead of the good as the Óra did.

Of course, he’d been nearly caught and imprisoned several times for breaking the time travel laws, but being the sly man that he was, he’d always managed to slip away.

Carlisle felt like patting himself on the back as he thought of the renegade AI that he’d managed to capture. The thing had gotten its circuits crossed and had been sent to the scrap heap but had taken off when no one was looking. He’d reprogramed it and now had it stashed away where it couldn’t be found. It controlled his own time travel device so that he didn’t constantly have to take the chance of being caught while sneaking in to use the one meant only for the Óra.

He’d always found it ridiculous that the law prohibited anyone other than the Óra from traveling through time, he didn’t care that there were reasons for the laws, reasons that were meant to protect normal humans from the destructive affects time travel had on their bodies.

Affects that he was suffering even now.

But he didn’t really care.

He’d traveled ahead several times to a time where medicine was so far advanced that sickness was almost non-existent, but still they couldn’t do anything to keep it from happening again. He’d been told time and again to stop, but he just couldn’t. He had to interfere. He had to find X’ronos and remember finding her.

This time he was sure he had what he needed to keep from losing all accounts of the woman, but he had to get to Downton Abbey first.


	14. Chapter 14

Elsie woke at the soft touch on her forehead. Surprised at the face that greeted her, she raised an eyebrow. “Mrs. Crawley?” she whispered.

“I know, you’re shocked that I’m here. I followed Mr. Carson two nights ago. He was quite upset with me until I explained that I was only concerned for you and that I wanted to help take care of you.”

“I suppose you know all of the truth then.” Elsie whispered.

“I know that he is of the Óra.”

Elsie sighed. “You mustn’t tell anyone.”

“The only other person that knows the secret is Richard. He’s been just as worried about you as I have.”

Closing her eyes, Elsie shivered then felt the blankets being tucked around her. “Thank you,” she whispered, tears slipping down her cheek as she thought how the kindness reminded her of Kenda.

“What is it? Are you still in pain?”

“A bit, but it’s not that.” Elsie answered. “You caring for me made me think of my friend at home.”

Isobel titled her head and studied Elsie. “More like a mother figure.”

“Yes.” Elsie answered, more tears rolling down her face.

“I can’t be a mother figure, but I can take care of you if you’ll let me. And I would like to be your friend. I think, considering who you are, you can call me Isobel.”

Elsie chuckled slightly. “Only when we’re alone. It wouldn’t do for a servant to be calling her class superior by their first name.”

Isobel nodded. “Might I call you Elsie?”

“I would welcome it. I hate being Mrs. Hughes. Mrs. Hughes was my mother and every time I hear the name, it makes me miss her. It’s been so very long,” her voice trailed off.

“How long, Elsie?”

“People think that being immortal would be so wonderful. It’s horrible. I’m alone, Isobel. I’ve outlived all of my family. I am the only living member from my father and mother’s lines. Just me. And now, my latest companion has probably already passed. She said she would die while I was here. I’ve lost companions before, but Kenda…”

“She’s special.”

Elsie nodded. “I’m much too old to need a mother, but I do from time to time. I miss her. She knew things without me having to tell her and she always told me to find the man who haunted my dreams, that he would lead me to the one person that would never leave me.”

Isobel smiled. “Mr. Carson.”

“Yes.” Elsie frowned and tossed her head back and forth a bit.

“What can I do for you?”

“The only one that can do anything is Mr. Carson. When he touches my,” she paused and bit her lower lip.

“What is it?”

“Help me sit up.” Elsie whispered, deciding that she could trust Isobel, knowing that she could make the woman forget everything when she left if she chose to.

Isobel did as Elsie asked, gasping when Elsie turned her back to her and let her robe fall so that her birthmark was exposed. “The sun, the moon, but,” she reached out and gently touched the mark in the middle. “I don’t know what it is.”

“It’s the planet X’ronos.”

“You mean, the Triad? Do all Óra have a birthmark such as this?” Isobel asked as she helped Elsie with her robe before tucking her back into bed.

“Mine is unique. Usually an Óra has only one marking on either the right or left shoulder blade. The marking signifies their strength. If it is the sun, they draw strength from the light. If it is the moon, then their strength lies in the night. They are the weaker of the Óra, the moon getting its light from the sun.”

“Do any of them have X’ronos?”

Elsie shook her head. “No. It’s only ever been the sun or moon.”

“But…”

Elsie clasped Isobel’s hand in hers. “I am X’ronos, Isobel. I _am_ time.”

Isobel blinked rapidly as she processed what she’d just heard. “And Mr. Carson?”

“Is Máni.”

“The moon?”

Elsie nodded. “So many years have gone by. I was born in the very distant future, so was Mr. Carson. The same moment to be exact. Máni was banished from the sky by Sól.”

“The sun?”

Elsie laughed slightly at the look on Isobel’s face. “Yes. It’s a lot to take in.”

“But what about you?”

“I left to follow my love.”

“I’m so confused.”

“What neither of us knew, was that by taking human form we would lose all of our memories of who we really are. Neither of us remembered until he touched my back the night after Lady Sybil gave birth. I don’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t. I was in so much pain and had collapsed out in the ruins.”

“And just his touch helped?”

Elsie bit her lip. “The pain was more than anything I had ever felt. My birthmark felt like someone was burning it off my skin. I,”

“What? I promise you can trust me. Dr. Clarkson would be the only one to believe me if I tried telling anyone of what I’ve seen and heard the last few days.”

Elsie nodded and quietly filled Isobel in on the rest of the story. When she was finished and looked up at Isobel, she was surprised to see tears in the woman’s eyes. “What is it?”

“Your love has been kept from you for so many years. You do still love him, don’t you?”

“Oh yes. Now that we’ve found each other,” Elsie paused then continued, “But as time travelers, we’re not supposed to both be here. It’s expressly forbidden for two Óra to be in the same timeline . Neither of us know how it happened.” Elsie left out the part about just why Charles was there in the first place. The last thing this woman needed was to learn that her son died in the original timeline.

“Elsie?”

“Hmm?”

“How old are you?”

Elsie sighed. “I am the age I look.”

Isobel frowned at the answer. “That is not an answer.”

Elsie smirked at her new friend. “Maybe one day I will tell you.”

“Will I see you again?”

“I don’t know. I can’t promise anything. Usually we don’t go back to the same period in a timeline once we’ve already been there.”

Isobel sighed. “I seem to always lose friends once I make them.”

“Keep trying with old Lady Grantham.”

Isobel studied her new friend. “Are you trying to tell me we’ll be friends one day?”

“I’m not telling you anything.”

Isobel shook her head and rolled her eyes. “I suppose it’s rules again.”

“No, actually it’s not. Because I am time, I can tell you anything I like because in the end, you’ll forget if I so choose.”

Isobel shook her head. “Please, Elsie. Don’t do that. I want to remember. If you make me forget, then I’ll lose…” she paused when her voice trembled.

“Dr. Clarkson?” Elsie whispered as she smiled at the shaken woman.

“We weren’t together in the original time, were we,” she guessed quietly.

“No, Isobel, you weren’t. He loves you, much as my Máni loves me.”

“Does he really?”

“Haven’t you noticed by now that he cares for you? Watch his eyes. It’s all there in his eyes.”

Isobel looked into Elsie’s eyes and saw the pain and tiredness in the blue. “Is there anything I can do to help you rest?”

“A bottle of Scotch or Mr. Carson.”

“Why the Scotch? Why can’t you take a sedative or morphine?”

“A sedative is useless, and I have a bad reaction to morphine. If it hadn’t been for my mother, there’s no telling what I would have done. No, Scotch is best.”

“Well, I would say that Mr. Carson is best.” Isobel winked at Elsie smiling when the woman blushed. “Would you look at that! I made time blush!”

“Hush.” Elsie hissed good naturedly.

“I’ll go now and send Mr. Carson along.”

“Thank you. And Isobel?”

“Yes?”

“I promise I’ll not take away your memories. Yours or Dr. Clarkson’s.”

“Thank you.”


	15. Chapter 15

Charles held Elsie close as she slept. It had been weeks now and still she slept more than she was awake. She’d explained that this was her way of restoring herself after using her powers, something that she’d done more of this time than any other time before.

It was odd to him being in the house with another housekeeper, no one remembering Elsie existed. Well, he shouldn’t say no one. The Bransons remembered along with the doctor and Mrs. Crawley. He wasn’t sure why the younger couple remembered. Elsie had told him about the promise she’d made to Mrs. Crawley, but she was as confused about the Bransons retaining their memory as he was.

Charles smiled when he heard Elsie whisper, Máni, in her sleep. “I’m here, my love,” he assured her softly. His touch, he knew, eased her pain. He still didn’t understand what had happened the night he’d found her out in the ruins, but having seen and heard the pain she was in, he was very thankful that his touch had brought her relief. He would touch her all the time if he could, but he still had responsibilities to the house.

He was still trying to learn just why he was here so far ahead of the time he should be. None of it made any sense. Every time he thought he’d found an answer, the AI would shoot it down.

He’d like to shoot the damnedable piece of technology down.

Living in this time of simplistic technology, Charles was made even more aware of how dependent they’d become on bits and pieces of wires and plastic. Or in the case of AI, wires and titanium.

He of course found some of their technology wonderful. The advancement in healing people due to technology was something he was thankful for. People were able live longer lives thanks to being healthier, though there were still some diseases even the far advanced tech couldn’t erase from society.

And evidently, tech hadn’t been able to help Elsie with her pain. She’d told him how she had a home in the Highlands in the future, how her companion Kenda lived there with her. He also knew that she was never going to see Kenda again, and that broke his heart. He knew what it was like to lose that one special companion, his Sara had been much like Elsie’s Kenda is some ways, and nothing like her in others.

He smiled when he thought of how Sara had taught him how to love a woman, how she’d told him that she was preparing him for the day that he met the woman he was fated to spend his life with.

The woman currently sleeping in his arms.

He knew that as long as he was touching her, she would be able to rest, so he’d taken the day off and had come here to spend the day with Elsie so that she could have a day free of pain.

Seeing her eyes slowly flutter open, he smiled and gently caressed the hair from her face. “Hello, my love. How do you feel?”

“Mmm,” she hummed sleepily. “Better.”

Leaning over, Charles kissed her, humming when she reached up and gently scratched the back of his neck with her fingernails. Pulling back, he rubbed his nose against hers.

“Eskimo kiss?” Elsie chuckled as she stared up at him.

Charles chuckled along with her. “I suppose so. You should rest some more, Love.”

“I’m tired of resting. I feel fine for the moment. I,” she bit her lip. “Make love to me. When I leave,” her eyes closed against the tears.

“When you leave, what? What is it, Elsie?”

“I just want this moment before I leave. It’s going to be several months before I see you again,” she answered, lying to him to protect him. She knew that something was going to happen that would keep them apart and there was nothing she could do about it in her present condition.

“Are you sure?”

“Your touch takes away the pain, remember? And what better way to have you touch me, than to make love.”

Charles gave in at the look she was giving him. He knew that she had lied to him, that she was holding something back, but he wouldn’t push her – wouldn’t force her to tell him the truth. He trusted her with his life, if she was keeping something from him, she had good reason.

He was just afraid of what that reason might be.

“I love you, Elsie.”

“Then show me, Charles.”

 

~*~

 

Hours later, Elsie lay draped across Charles, more of her body on him than on the bed. She was completely exhausted, but she knew that she would carry this with her for however long they were separated. She knew that Charles had realized she was lying to him, and she blessed him for not pressing her to tell him the truth.

She couldn’t bear to break his heart with the truth.

Why have his heart breaking when hers already was?

She knew that he was still asleep by the rise and fall of his chest and the puffs of his breath against her hair. His arm had been wrapped around her, but as he’d relaxed even further into sleep, it had slipped down onto the bed. Slowly and carefully, she moved, stepping lightly down onto the rug where she found her robes.

She knew that he would be angry that she’d left him without saying goodbye, but she couldn’t say goodbye.

She just couldn’t.

They hadn’t known who the other was for so many years, and now that they’d found each other, she had to leave. AI had been nearly apoplectic when he’d learned she was in the same timeline as Charles.

Why the hell the Creators had given AI emotions, she had no idea.

It was a terrible thing to do.

A robot with emotions was worse than a human.

At least a human could work through their emotions.

AI just acted on them and generally fried his circuitry in the process.

He had to be malfunctioning not to have realized he’d sent her to the same place and time as Charles.

When she got back home, well, there were things she’d have to do before going to AI and finding out just what was going on.

Kenda.

She knew that her beloved friend was gone.

She’d told Charles about her and he’d told her about Sara.

They’d discussed the lovers they’d had over the years, neither of them angry at the other because they hadn’t remembered.

Besides, Sara had taught Charles how to make love to a woman, to make sure that his lover was more than satisfied – and what a pupil he’d been.

Elsie blushed as she smiled, her robes brushing against her nipples making her breath catch.

Her body was still sensitive, and her memories had stirred up her arousal again. Heavens above she had to stop.

She couldn’t arrive home like this.

That would be quite embarrassing.

Taking one last look at her love, she quietly slipped from the room and into the bathroom, hoping that by washing herself quickly she wouldn’t wake Charles.

It was nearly time for her to leave and she had to be presentable.

She had no idea what was waiting for her on the other side, but she had to be ready for anything.


	16. Chapter 16

Violet knew that Isobel knew something she just wasn’t sure what it was her cousin knew. The woman had been spending more time with Dr. Clarkson than she had in the past, Violet huffed at that.

She knew that the two had never gone beyond being friends, and had ceased being that for a time when Isobel had taken up with bloody Dickie Grey. Or Merton. Or whatever in the hell people took a notion to call the man these days.

Even after having lived as part of the peerage for so many years, Violet still hated it. The changing of names just because of a title, the snubbing of people just because their class was lower than yours.

So many times she’d wanted to scream at them that she was above them all but had deigned to live among them.

But she hadn’t because that wasn’t who she truly was.

Not that anyone knew that.

She was a great actress, making them all believe she was imperious and cold.

The only thing she hadn’t really been acting at was her attitude toward her son’s wife. The woman grated on her nerves for some reason, though Violet had never been sure just why.

In her Countess persona, she’d led everyone to believe it was because she was American which worked in her favor in most circles.

Violet’s thoughts drifted back to Isobel. She really should stop fighting with the woman. They’d grown close before, when young Matthew had been taken from them.

But now, things were different. Sybil was still alive, and Violet knew that Charles Carson had been sent to save Matthew.

The fact that he had been sent in nearly a year before he was supposed to be had worked in Violet’s favor. She’d needed Elsie here to keep Sybil alive and having Charles here as well helped her with another task she’d been trying to make come to pass for years.

So many times they’d come so close to meeting, but always one would be pulled out before the other showed up.

“Ah!” Violet huffed as she realized just what it was Isobel knew.

The woman, and the doctor, had both been witness to Elsie’s powers on the day she’d saved Sybil.

Violet knew that Elsie had done something in that room, but she didn’t know what. Now, figuring out that her cousin had witnessed the act, she would be able to get the truth.

Of course, asking Isobel about what had happened would lead to questions being asked about how Violet remembered Elsie when she knew that no one, save for the three in the bedroom that day and Tom, remembered the woman.

Violet hadn’t told Sybil or Tom anything about who she was. They both knew that she remembered Elsie Hughes because she’d had to explain to them that no one else did and that they mustn’t mention the woman. Sybil was still confused about what had happened in her bedroom and Tom just simply worried for the woman he’d grown to think of as a mother. He wasn’t sure how that had happened if she hadn’t been there as long as all of them thought, but then again, nothing about any of this had made much sense to him.

Violet shook her head with a smile. The young man was still trying to find his place and this wasn’t helping, but she knew that now with Sybil by his side, things would go as they always were supposed to.

Ringing her bell, she made up her mind to pay a visit to her cousin.

It was time to find out just what the woman knew.

Maybe she could find out just where Elsie Hughes had disappeared to.

 

~*~

 

Isobel blinked in surprise at the person standing at her front door. “Cousin Violet?”

“Well are you going to stand there stating the obvious, or are you going to let me in?” Violet huffed.

Isobel stood back and let the woman in. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect to see you.”

“And why not?” Violet asked as they walked into the sitting room.

“I’m afraid there’s no one here to make tea for us. If you would like some, I’ll have to excuse myself to the kitchen.”

“No. I didn’t come for tea.”

“Then why are you here?” Isobel asked, wishing her cousin would get on with it so that she would be gone when her expected visitor showed up.

“I’m here to learn just what you know of Elsie Hughes and the events on the day of my great-granddaughter’s birth.”

Isobel frowned. How did her cousin remember Elsie? “I don’t know what you mean,” she decided to go with denial first.

Violet rolled her eyes. “That isn’t going to work. I’ve known for days now that you know something All of that time you’re spending with Dr. Clarkson, give me some credit, Isobel.”

“Fine then, but answer me this, how do you remember?”

“I just do.”

“To quote you, give me some credit. Elsie Hughes left me with my memories because I asked her to, but she thinks that everyone else has forgotten who she is.”

“And why would you ask her for your memories? Yours and the doctors, I presume.”

“No. You have to answer my question first. I’ve told you enough for now. If I don’t get an answer, you can go home.”

Violet scowled. This woman was beyond stubborn. “It’s a good thing we’re alone. What I’m about to tell you goes no further than this room. You can not tell anyone. Not Dr. Clarkson, not Elsie Hughes, no one.”

“And what makes you think I know where she is?”

Violet rolled her eyes. “Let’s just stop with the pretense. I know that you know where she is. I’m sure that Charles Carson and Dr. Clarkson know where she is as they both seem to disappear quite frequently. The family has commented on the fact that Carson is taking his days off, something he has very seldom done. Of course, you and I both know, Carson hasn’t always been here, but they don’t.”

“Again I ask, how do you know? You know far more than you should.”

“Why do you think Elsie Hughes is here?”

Isobel was taken aback by that. “You? But,” she growled. “Oh for heaven’s sake, Violet Crawley! Tell me the truth! Who are you?”

Violet sighed as she looked down at her hand. “I am known as the Ancient One. I am Óra just as Charles Carson and Elsie Hughes are. The only differences is, I am the first.”

Staring at the woman sitting across from her, Isobel couldn’t help the way her eyes widened. “But why are you here? You’ve been here all of these,” she shook her head. “Are you really Robert and Rosamund’s mother?”

“I am. I grew tired of being besieged by those seeking the Ancient One for her wisdom. What nonsense. I sent myself back in time and hid here. I was noticed by the sixth Earl of Grantham and had to make up a background.”

“And how did you keep him from learning the truth when you came to the marriage with no money?”

“Who says I had no money?”

“But that’s what I’ve always heard.”

“Because the money I had was lost by the Earl in an unwise investment and he didn’t wish to take responsibility for it. Of course there was no love between us, and when our first child was a daughter, he was furious. I told him that he should be grateful I’d given him a child at all. I knew of his affairs, he’d had the same mistress since before we were married. She of course didn’t know of the other mistress that he’d taken, I did. I gave him a son and then I was done with him.”

“Did you take a lover?” Isobel asked, suddenly feeling very sorry for her cousin and the unhappiness she’d had in her marriage.

“I did. I fell in love with one of them, but I’ve not seen him in years. I don’t even know if he’s still alive.”

“And did he know who you really are?”

“Yes. He learned who I am.”

“You said, learned. Did you not tell him?”

Violet stared out the window into her past as the Countess of Grantham. “No, I didn’t tell him. He saw my birthmark. And before you ask, no, the Earl never saw it.”

“I don’t have to ask how that’s possible, but how is it possible that your maid never saw it?”

“My maid did see it, but said nothing because I’d made sure to have a maid that was mute.”

Isobel’s eyes widened. “You employed a mute? How did she manage to keep from being put into one of those dreadful homes?”

“Her mother protected her, I suppose. I didn’t much care because she served my purpose. She could see all but she couldn’t tell anyone anything.”

“She could have written it.”

“But I was good to her so that she wouldn’t betray me.” Violet sighed as she thought of the nasty maid she’d had for the trip to Russia. “If only she’d been able to go with me to Russia,” she whispered, not realizing that she’d spoken the thought aloud.

“Russia?”

Violet started. “Nothing. Now, tell me what you know.”

Isobel studied her cousin and decided to let it go, there was something about Russia that pained the woman. Maybe that’s where the man she’d fallen in love with was. “I know what I suspect you know about Elsie Hughes and just who she really is. I know that I will probably never see her again. I know that she left me a wonderful gift. And I know where she’s been hiding. I also know that she’s no longer there. She slipped away yesterday.”

“Why did she leave?” Violet shook her head. “He’ll never let them find each other again,” she breathed.

“Who?”

“Sól.”

“He knows she’s here?”

“I’m sure he knows that they’ve found each other, though it’s doubtful that he remembers who she is. She’s very good at wiping people’s memories.”

“Why does she do that?”

“Can you see her doing what she did for Sybil and the world not going crazy with the knowledge? Besides, until now, she didn’t know who she really was. As Time, she will have to protect herself even more. She doesn’t need help traveling through time, though again, that was something she wouldn’t have known before now.”

“I still don’t understand how you know all of this. If she and Mr. Carson didn’t remember who they were, how do you know who they are?”

“I am the Ancient One. I know things that many have forgotten. I was there when they were born. I saw them fall from the sky.”

“Do you mean that in the future there is no Moon?”

“No moon. No Planet X’ronos. No Sun.”

“No sun? But if there is no sun,”

“Everything is artificial.”

“I don’t think I want to know more.”

“If Charles and Elsie can fulfill their destinies, all will return as it should be. The Triad will return, but no longer will they align. No more will be born with the immortal curse.”

“Elsie called it a curse as well.”

“It is. Rosamund and Robert are not my first children. I’ve had more and have watched them die. I wouldn’t have had these two if I hadn’t found myself married to an Earl where it was expected of the wife to give him children. I had no desire to watch more of my offspring die.”

“Oh Cousin Violet, I’m sorry.”

“I chose to have a family. There are those that don’t and spend all of their time traveling and doing AI’s bidding. There are others that have gotten lost in time as I have.”

“How many are there?”

“Not many. The world hasn’t been around long enough for there to be many.”

“What do I need to do?”

“Keep the secret.”

“I promised Elsie when I asked for her to leave me my memories.”

“And why did you ask?”

Isobel looked down at her hands. “Because I didn’t want to forget that I’ve fallen in love.”

“With Dr. Clarkson.” Violet whispered.

“Yes. That’s why she left him his memories.”

“Don’t let anyone stand in the way of your happiness. Don’t worry about the family, not even Matthew. If you truly love the man, be with him.”

“We’ve not gone so far as that.”

“And I doubt that you will before he asks you to marry him. He’s too much a gentleman.”

“Thank you for telling me the truth.”

“It took too much loss for us to be friends before. I didn’t want a repeat.”

“What haven’t you told me?”

“The same thing Elsie didn’t tell you. It would only break your heart.”

Isobel swallowed and reached out to clasp Violet’s hand. “Something happens to Matthew,” she breathed.

“Before, yes. Things are different this time.”

“That’s why Mr. Carson is here. That’s what he came to change. What happened?”

“No, Isobel.”

“Tell me.”

Violet looked away and whispered, “He died the day his son was born.”

Isobel gasped and clutched at her heart. “Please tell me that isn’t going to happen now. Please.”

“Not if Charles Carson has his way. You were correct. That is why he’s here.”

Isobel felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks. Just the mere thought of losing her only child felt like someone was ripping her heart out. How had Violet survived losing her whole family?

“I had no other choice.” Violet whispered, answering Isobel’s silent wondering. “No other choice.”


	17. Chapter 17

Charles frowned as he listened to AI telling him that he wasn’t at the wrong place in the timeline and that he had no idea what he was talking about. There was no Elsie Hughes in his timeline. The frustrating robot was telling him the rules. “Damn it all! I know the rules, but I’m telling you, Elsie Hughes was here!”

“I see no record of her having been there.”

“But you sent her!”

“I did no such thing.” AI huffed. “It is against my programing to break explicit rules. No two Óra are to be found within the same timeline at the same time.”

“I know the bloody rules!”

“Perhaps we should pull you out and send another in. You see to be malfunctioning.”

Charles growled. “I’m not the one that’s malfunctioning you blasted bucket of wire and bolts!”

“I am not a bucket!”

Charles felt like banging his head against the wall. Why had they given this bloody thing emotions? “As far as I’m concerned you belong in the scrap heap. Find Elsie Hughes!” he shouted then disconnected the communication. He’d had enough of arguing with the bloody thing.

He turned back to the bed. Why had she just left him? Why hadn’t she said goodbye?

There was nothing to indicate she’d ever been here except for his memories. The mussed sheets on the bed told him of what they’d gotten up to, but to anyone else they would just indicate he’d been a restless sleeper.

She’d been gone now for three days, and each day it was the same thing from AI.

Elsie Hughes had not been sent here for any purpose.

He didn’t understand what was going on.

AI had never malfunctioned like this before.

Maybe he should let himself be pulled out. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t return closer to the time he needed to be here.

A shuddering under his feet made him brace against the wall. This couldn’t possibly be an earthquake.

What was happening?

He could see things begin to shift around him, hear an eerie silence outside.

Someone was changing the timeline further back in the past.

But who?

And why?

Why would someone want to change something that had happened before now?

He had studied this timeline, nothing substantial outside the war had occurred.

But young Matthew Crawley had survived the war thanks to William Mason’s sacrifice.

When everything stopped moving, Charles heard his communicator beeping and moved to the part of the cabin he’d hidden it in. He was surprised to see AI staring back at him. “What?”

“We have to pull you back. Something has happened. The reason you are there no longer exists.”

“What do you mean?”

“Matthew Crawley died in the Great War.”

Charles blinked in surprise. “What?”

“Someone changed the outcome of the battle where he was wounded. William Mason was not with him to save him.”

“I don’t understand.”

“No one does. You must return. It is not safe for you there now. We have already begun the process of changing people’s memory. No one will know you.”

Charles sighed and nodded. “I’ll wait here.”

“I will contact you when we are ready to pull you out.”

Charles watched the screen go blank and collapsed to the floor.

What was going on?

First Elsie just seems to disappear into the mist.

Now the timeline has been changed further into the past.

Who could possibly be doing this?

Only the Óra were allowed to travel in time.

He knew that a few mortals had snuck into time, but most of them were dead, the effects of time traveling having damaged their bodies beyond what a mere mortal’s body could withstand.

Was another Óra responsible for this?

There were those that were lost in time, but no one knew where they were, and they’d kept it that way.

So why would one of them have come out of hiding now?

It made no sense.

He was startled when there was a knock on the door.

Who in the world?

Isobel and Richard had been the only ones that knew where he was and he was sure they no longer remembered anything that had happened.

Pushing himself up when another knock sounded, he walked to the door and opened it, staring down in shock at the person looking up at him.

“My Lady?”

“None of that, Charles. Something’s happened. And before you ask, Isobel told me where you are.”

“She still remembers? How do you remember?”

“I’m the Ancient One.”

Charles’ eyes widened. “I don’t understand. You’ve been here all along?”

“Yes.” Violet nodded and moved into the room. “Isobel is heartbroken and angry as I’d promised her that her son wouldn’t die.”

“How does she remember? No one should remember me. AI said they had already begun the wiping process.”

“Whatever Elsie did so that Isobel and Dr. Clarkson would remember kept them from forgetting. Sybil is confused as well because she remembers.”

“And Mr. Branson?”

“Remembers.”

Charles drew a hand over his face. “None of this makes sense. Why would Elsie let all of them remember? And what did she do that AI’s wiping process hasn’t worked?”

“I don’t know. I never understood how Sybil and Tom remembered the first time around.”

“What do you mean?”

“When Elsie came to save Sybil. Sybil and Tom remembered her dying. They remembered Charles. I should have been the only one to remember.”

“Nothing makes sense anymore. Who did this?”

“Sól.”

Charles’ eyes widened. “What? How? He’s still up there,” he said as he motioned heavenward.

“No, Charles he isn’t. You haven’t gone far enough into your future to see it, but there is no sun, moon, or X’ronos. The moon and X’ronos disappeared from the sky the night you and Elsie were born. A thousand years went by with only the sun to light the day and only the stars in the midnight sky. You and Elsie narrowly missed each other in a timeline and Sól realized that he must come down to keep you apart. Luckily for us, he was not born an immortal. He only has so many years left before his body can not be healed of the damage done by traveling through time.”

“But how has humanity survived without the sun?”

“Technology. They have an artificial sun and moon. X’ronos just simply doesn’t exist in anything but fairytales.”

“It’s all so much to take in.”

“I know, but you must know so that you can be careful. He knows that the two of you have met, that you remember who you are.”

“But why go back in time and change things? What has Matthew Crawley’s death to do with X’ronos and I?”

“I don’t know. I do know that Sybil will be next.”

“Why?”

“She just will.” Violet told him, not wishing to tell him just exactly why Sybil must live.

Charles frowned, not liking that Violet had suddenly clammed up on him. “Fine.” The sound of his communicator kept him from saying anything else. “That will be AI notifying me that my extraction has been scheduled. You should probably go. I won’t tell anyone that you’re here. Well, no one but Elsie once I find her.”

“You must find her and you must go back and fix what Sól has changed. I will do what I can here.”

“Be safe.”

“I have no worries. I’m immortal, Sól can’t touch me. Going back in time to the day of my birth would be the only way he could do anything, but that isn’t possible. It would kill him to go that far back in time.”

“Elsie and I are immortal, we can’t be harmed anymore than you can.”

“But where he can’t stop me from being born, he can the two of you.”

Charles sighed. “I must get that.”

“Go. I’ll clear whatever’s left behind.”

“There will be nothing. You must go. Most of what’s here will be extracted with me.”

Violet nodded and made her way to the door. “I will see you in the past, Charles.”


	18. Chapter 18

Elsie felt disoriented as she opened her eyes and looked around. She wasn’t at home as she expected to be.

Where was she?

The pull hadn’t gone as it should, she remembered that much. AI had seemed to be glitchy when she talked to him, but she’d just chalked it up to whatever had been going on with the machine since she and Charles had been sent here.

Closing her eyes again, she focused her mind so that she could recall the events surrounding her waking up in this stark room with nothing but a bed, toilet, and a sink.

As images filled her mind, Elsie realized that closing her eyes might not have been such a good idea. Instead of seeing what had brought her here, she saw what was happening in the past she’d left. Someone had gone back to the Great War and made sure that Matthew Crawley died there.

But why?

She knew that Matthew Crawley was to be spared death on the day of his son’s birth so that he could raise his son instead of the blessed Lady Mary raising him by herself, or rather, letting nannies raise him, but now the young lad would never be born. It made no sense. Not even with her far sight could she see the outcome of this new timeline.

She also couldn’t see who was doing this.

Pushing passed the things she wasn’t seeking, she finally found herself back in the small cottage with Charles, taking one last look at him before she quietly slipped away so that her extraction could take place away from him and not wake him.

She hadn’t wanted to say goodbye.

But as she stepped outside, her world went dark.

She opened her eyes, and looked around. “Then I woke up here.”

“I see you’re awake.”

Elsie looked toward the voice and frowned in confusion. “Where am I?”

“Not to worry. We’ve taken care of you. We found you in the desert.”

“Desert?” Elsie asked, her mind trying to figure out how she’d gone from Downton’s grounds to the desert.

“You don’t know how you got there? We were hoping you could tell us as we saw no evidence of how you arrived.”

Elsie shook her head. “I don’t even know where I am.”

“A care facility on Base Gamma Alpha.”

Elsie was even more confused than ever. She had no idea what this person was talking about. Where was her far sight when she needed it?

“Do you know who you are?”

“I’m not certain of anything right now.” Elsie answered. She had no intentions of telling anyone who she was until she learned what the hell was going on.

“No matter. It will come to you. Rest. I will bring you food and drink shortly.”

Elsie watched the mysterious person leave, still not sure who they were. All she’d been able to discern was that it was a woman. She wished she could see what had happened, but everything was black.

She supposed it could be that she was still so weak from using all of her powers to save Sybil Branson, but that didn’t explain why she wasn’t home.

Maybe AI had just simply glitched one time too many which caused her to wind up who knows where in time.

Bloody machine.

No matter.

She could send herself home if she could somehow manage to regain all of her strength.

That would take sustenance and rest.

She shrugged.

This seemed like a good place for both.

 

~*~

 

Waking hours later, Elsie found a tray of food sitting on a small table beside her bed. Carefully sitting up, she closed her eyes to stop the room from spinning.

Sure that she wouldn’t fall over if she stood, she opened her eyes and carefully made the short distance to the table, sitting down in the chair with a huff.

She hated being weak.

This body just could not handle all that was stored within it, and it definitely couldn’t handle another show like she’d put on to save Sybil Branson.

There was still something niggling at her about the young woman.

She had known what happened to her before the change, but Elsie didn’t understand how. Tom Branson seemed to remember as well, but that couldn’t be explained either.

It was all such a mess.

The only good thing that had happened was that she’d found her Máni.

She smiled as she reached for her cup, remembering the feel of being curled up in his arms as she slept. Sipping the wine, she closed her eyes as she remembered waking with her body draped over his, their hearts beating as one.

She could still feel his hands and mouth moving over her, her senses alive with the fire he’d stirred in her blood. Feeling her body reacting, she shook her head.

No sense letting herself be carried away by her memories.

That could get her in trouble.

Her memories were powerful things.

Especially ones with emotions behind them.

Looking down at her meal, she quirked an eyebrow.

How did they know what her favorite meal was?

Who the hell had found her in the desert?

And what desert had she been in?

Too many questions.

Not enough answers.

Concentrating on her meal, she let her mind wonder to Isobel and Dr. Clarkson.

She was happy for them, knowing what she did of the way things had turned out before. Isobel had lost her son and then lost the man that would have been able to help her heal. She might have been happy with Lord Merton, but his sons, especially Larry, were horrid creatures.

Isobel would have been better off if she’d let Richard finish what he’d tried to say at the fair She’d have had someone there to hold her and help her through her grief.

Instead, she’d stopped him and kept him at arms length, isolating herself from the very person that could have understood the pain she was going through.

Elsie wondered if Richard would ever tell Isobel of his wife and young son that died in a horrible train accident. She supposed that he probably would if Charles wasn’t able to save Matthew.

The name made her gasp as suddenly her mind was filled with images of the young man dying in the Great War.

“No,” she cried as she dropped her fork.

“That can’t be. He was alive when I left.” Her heart was breaking for her friend as her sight gave her images of Isobel collapsing, Richard’s arms barely catching her as she fell.

“At least she has Richard.” Elsie breathed as she took a sip of her wine to try and calm herself.

Who had gone back and changed the timeline?

And why would they?

If Matthew was set to die months away from where she’d been with Charles, then why go back and change the outcome of his brush with death in the war?

None of any of this made sense.

She was somewhere she didn’t recognize.

And now, she was seeing events change in the timeline she’d just been in.

She only hoped that Charles had been pulled out.


	19. Chapter 19

Richard held Isobel close. This was a nightmare. They’d been enjoying a nice meal together when suddenly everything shifted and Matthew had died in the war. She kept repeating over and over that Violet had promised Matthew wouldn’t die.

He was confused, all of them that remembered the previous timeline were confused. What made it so terrible was that they were all supposed to act as though this hadn’t just happened.

Mary was married to Sir Richard Carlisle instead of Matthew, and Downton Abbey had been sold, the family now living in what they called Downton Place because Carlisle wouldn’t help them financially after Robert had lost all of Cora’s fortune in a bad investment.

The only change that he liked was the fact that Isobel was his wife instead of just the woman he’d fallen in love with, though neither of them remembered getting married.

Whatever Elsie had done to let them keep their memories seemed to have put them in a bubble where all they remembered was the timeline she’d been in and helped fix.

“Let me build a fire, Love. It’s getting cold in here and I don’t want you to get sick.”

“Just, please. Take me to bed and hold me.”

“Whatever you want, Love. I can make a fire in the bedroom as easily as I can here.” Lifting her into his arms, Richard carried Isobel up the stairs, her arms wrapped around his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder.

She’d been nearly inconsolable since everything had changed, her grief at the loss of her son almost overwhelming her. Richard wasn’t sure she would have survived if he hadn’t been with her when they’d learned just what had happened in the shift.

He’d held her and told her of his wife and son, how they’d died in a train wreck before he came to Downton, their deaths being the reason he left Scotland. Knowing that her husband had known the same pain of losing a child, had helped ease Isobel’s grief somewhat, but not enough that she didn’t cry herself to sleep every night.

It didn’t help that she couldn’t openly grieve.

No one would understand.

Of course he supposed they could make up that someone she was very close to had died, but he didn’t think that would be enough to cover for the grief she was feeling.

Maybe he should just take her away, take her to Scotland. She’d never been and he’d like for her to see where he’d been born and raised. And maybe just maybe, being away from people that knew them, where she could grieve all she wanted to without hiding it, would help her.

As he sat her down on their bed, he leaned over and tenderly kissed her forehead, his hand cupping her face, thumb gently caressing her cheek. “You get into your night clothes and climb into bed, I’ll build the fire and change then join you.”

“Richard?”

“Yes?”

“Do you think Charles and Elsie know?”

“I don’t know, Love. Maybe that’s where Charles disappeared to.”

“But how could he? He’s too old to have gone to war.”

“Yes, he is, but young William Mason was never supposed to live.”

Isobel closed her eyes. “My son for Mr. Mason’s,” she breathed.

“Shh. Don’t think about it. Just change and get into bed. No more thoughts.”

Isobel sat and watched Richard as he moved about their room. His movements were so fluidic that she often found herself wondering if he was real. Then he would wrap her in his arms and press a gentle kiss to her head and all thoughts of him not being real were dispelled.

As her heart broke with grief, it swelled with love for the man that shared her life. She would be completely lost without his strength to hold her up and his gentle ways to soothe her aching spirit.

Working alongside Richard at the hospital gave her something to keep her mind off the shock of the change in their timeline.

“Izzie.” Richard whispered as he touched her shoulder. “You haven’t changed.”

Looking up at her husband, Isobel sighed then leaned forward and rested her head against his stomach. “I’m sorry. My mind was wandering.”

Cupping her head, Richard held her close for a moment before deftly pulling the pins from her hair. “That’s one thing done. Now let me help you with the rest.”

Isobel stood and let Richard undress her, shivering when the still cool air touched her bare skin. She bit her lip then stopped Richard from reaching for her nightdress. “No.”

Richard stared at her a moment then nodded and pulled back the blankets. “Slide in before you catch your death.”

Isobel did as told then waited for him to join her, watching as he took off his pajamas and shorts. “I just need to feel you,” she whispered when he slid in beside her and curled his body around hers.

“I’ll do anything for you, you have to know that.”

“I do and I love you all the more for it,” she sighed as she settled further into his embrace. He was always so very warm that she sometimes wondered why they needed a fire.

“Because while I’m warm in your arms, I don’t relish climbing out of bed into an ice cold room.” Richard whispered as if he could read her thoughts.

“Are you in my head, Doctor?” Isobel asked as she pressed a kiss to his chin.

Richard chuckled, “I just might be, Nurse.”

“I love you, Richard, and I’m glad that everyone thinks we’re married.”

“I love you, too, and one day we will be married – at least have a wedding we remember, even if everyone else thinks we’re renewing our vows. Or simply think we’ve lost our minds.”

“When have they not thought I’m out of my mind? No matter what version of this timeline we’re in, someone always thinks I’m the crazy cousin.”

“Well I know differently.” Titling her face up so she was looking at him, Richard caressed the hair out of her face. “We will get him back. Somehow, we’ll get your Matthew back.”

Reaching up, Isobel cupped his face in her hands. “Love me,” she whispered before pressing her lips to his.

Richard let his hands caress over her as he pulled her tight against him. There had been many nights that had ended like this, the woman in his arms needing him to distract her with the physical.

As he’d told her time and again, he’d do anything for her.


	20. Chapter 20

Richard Carlisle smiled at himself in the mirror. He’d changed the timeline so the worthless cousin of the Earl of Grantham died in the war and now the Earl’s eldest daughter was sleeping just in the other room once again.

Of course there was still Sybil Crawley to take care of. That would mean going back in time again, but it would be worth it.

If he could make sure of her death, he could simply live out the rest of his life with the selfish bitch in his bed and maybe even leave behind a few progeny to carry on his name and ruthlessness.

He grinned smugly before turning to go back and wake his wife.

She gave him what he wanted because as long as she did, he would keep her secret liaison with the dead Turk to himself.

He’d watched Isobel Crawley, Clarkson as she was now known, grieve and reveled in her pain.

He’d enjoyed the pain the loss of the man had caused Mary Crawley as well. That had probably been the most enjoyable.

Draping his robe over the end of the bed, he laughed when Mary flopped on her back with a huff.

If this was to be his last time with the bitch, he was going to enjoy it.

 

~*~

 

Carlisle watched as Sybil talked Tom into driving her to a political rally. He knew that she wound up being hurt when things turned nasty, and he fully intended for her to sustain more than just a minor head wound.

If he could ensure Sybil’s death this far back, Elsie bloody Hughes wouldn’t exist to fix it.

He laughed as he thought about how Elsie didn’t even know her own family history.

How could someone with her powers not know that the young woman she’d been sent back in time to save – was her grandmother, several generations back?

Had Elsie and Charles not ever been curious about their own timelines?

He had gone back and changed several things to make his life much better than it would have been had he left his past as it was.

Of course, if Elsie didn’t exist, then Time would wind up bound to the planet again, and X’ronos would reappear in the sky.

Then he, himself, could go back to his home in the sky. He was tired of this weak and fragile body. He wanted his burning skin around him again. He wanted the power to warm the earth again, to burn the flimsy flesh of these humans who were ridiculous enough to spend too much time basking in his glow.

He also enjoyed the thought that it would be just him and Time, she would have no choice but to yield to his wants.

And what he wanted was her.

He’d always wanted her.

But she’d been in love with the moon.

The bloody moon!

Máni couldn’t even light himself, he only reflected the light of the Sun.

So why would she choose Máni over a powerful being like him?

What did the worthless moon have?

All Carlisle could think of was the sayings he’d heard about the moon’s seductiveness.

Maybe that’s all it was.

Máni had seduced Time long before they’d been sent to the heavens and she’d never gotten over it, believing herself to be in love with him.

Starting his car when he saw Tom climbing into the driver’s seat, Carlisle followed him, making sure to stay far enough back that Tom didn’t suspect anything but still close enough to not lose him.

Sybil Crawley was going to die today, and then, Carlisle could go home.

 

~*~

 

Sybil cried out as she fell and hit her head, losing consciousness before she hit the ground.

Tom fought through the crowd to get to Sybil, trying desperately to reach her, knowing that she was hurt. He suspected that she was hurt far worse than she had been the first time.

First time?

Where did that come from?

What did it mean?

He’d never brought Sybil anywhere like this before.

As he shoved passed a rather large man and ducked a flying fist, Tom had flashes of this happening differently.

He hadn’t been alone with Sybil.

Matthew Crawley had been with him.

But how could that be?

Nothing made sense.

Finally reaching Sybil, Tom bent down and carefully lifted her into his arms, thankful that the rowdy crowd had surged the opposite direction from where he’d parked the motor.

The last thing he needed was to have to fight the madness with his arms full of his employer’s daughter.

Carefully laying Sybil in the back seat, Tom closed the door and nearly jumped behind the wheel.

He had to get her back to the hospital even though he’d taken her to Mrs. Crawley the first time.

He frowned as he pushed the motor to go as fast as it was able.

The first time kept cropping up followed by images of things that he knew hadn’t happened.

Or had they?

Scowling and murmuring something he knew his mother would slap him silly for, Tom banged his hand against the steering wheel. This was nonsense!

Now was not the time to lose his mind!

 

~*~

 

“Tom! What in the world?” Dr. Clarkson asked as he rushed toward the young man. “What’s happened to her? And where are her parents?”

“She talked me into taking her to a political rally. It turned ugly and before I could react she was being pushed away from me in the surge of the crowd. She was shoved and hit her head as she fell.”

Richard nodded as he watched his nurse cleaning the wound. “We’ll take care of her. You go get the family.”

“But,”

“No.” Richard turned and smiled at the young man. “I promise we’ll take care of her. And I promise you’ll know how she’s doing after I’ve told the family. Just go before your situation gets any worse. You have to know your job will probably end now, don’t you?”

“I do, but that’s not important.” Tom looked at Sybil once more then turned to leave, calling over his shoulder, “Lady Sybil is all that matters. She’s all that has always mattered. You have to save her.”

“I’ll do my best.” Richard called after the young man before turning his attention back to his nurse. “Get her into a gown. Then prep her for an x-ray. We need to see if there was anything damaged internally.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“I’m going to go call Mrs. Clarkson.”

“Yes, Sir. She should be here to help. The family will appreciate that.”

“Thank you for understanding, Nurse Smith.”

“No need for thanks. Mrs. Clarkson is by far more experienced than any nurse in this hospital, we’re lucky to have her.”

Richard smiled at that then turned and made his way to his office, pausing when he realized he’d called Mrs. Crawley, Mrs. Clarkson.

Since when?

They weren’t married?

Surely he would remember such as that.

What the hell was going on?

He shook his head.

Maybe he should go on a bit of a sabbatical from his job.

He was starting to crack.


	21. Chapter 21

Elsie felt a shift and frowned. Something was happening to someone from her family.

The question was – who?

None of her family were still alive.

She was the last of her line.

The only answer she could come up with, was that whatever was happening was in the past, but that still didn’t answer the who part of her query.

Why would anyone go back into her timeline and change something?

Then a flash of something hit her and she staggered back against her bed, falling down with a huff as she gripped her head against the images.

Everything seemed to be in fast forward, spinning and spinning faster and faster in her head until all she could do was tighten her grip in a desperate attempt to stop the chaos.

“Help me!” she cried out. “Please, help me!”

Over and over again she screamed her pleas, but no one seemed to be about to help her.

She could feel herself growing weaker and weaker, feeling a burning spreading through her as pressure began to build up, making her feel as though she were about to explode.

“Please!” she screamed again. “Oh god, please someone help me!”

No matter how much she begged, the door to her room stayed closed.

She didn’t understand what was happening or why the people that had been taking such good care of her had suddenly abandoned her.

She could make out images of Sybil Crawley but they were all going by so fast that they were nothing more than confusing.

She’d only met Sybil when she’d gone back in time to save her from dying a senseless death in childbirth, but none of the scenes that were passing before her mind’s eye were of any time she’d spent in the young woman’s presence.

Why was she seeing Sybil as an old woman?

Or was that Miss Sybie, or Katie as she’d been named when Sybil had lived instead of dying after giving birth.

 

~*~

 

“Let me go to her. Please!”   Kenda begged. “Please!”

“You can’t. If we open the door it will break the seal and we’ll lose her. I promise that you can go to her and stay with her as soon as this is over, but we have to wait until our displays show the brain activity has calmed.”

“What’s happening?”

“Her very existence is being threatened. Sybil Crawley Branson was Elsie’s grandmother many generations back.”

Kenda looked at the person pointing at screens. “You mean Elsie was sent back in time to save her own great grandmother how many ever generations back? How was that possible?”

“It’s possible because she gave birth and her bloodline was continued through young Miss Katie       Branson. Now, Sybil Crawley has been struck down before she’s married so there is no way for her bloodline to continue.”

“That’s why Elsie is in such torment? She’s being…” she started but was cut off.

“Whoever made sure Sybil Crawley died in her past is trying desperately to keep Elsie from existence, but she’s safe as long as we have her here. Her room is made of special technology that protects her from anything that might harm her. Do you know who Elsie really is?”

Kenda frowned. “Of course I do. It’s you that I don’t know who you are. You just snatched me up and took me somewhere that I still have no clue where I am and you’ve kept me hidden from my Elsie.”

“She isn’t just Elsie Hughes. She is Time. She is – X’ronos.”

Kenda blinked and turned back to look at the monitor, watching Elsie as she curled into a ball on her bed. “That explains it,” she whispered, her heart aching with each plea that left Elsie’s mouth.

“Explains what?”

“She’s always been able to manipulate time anyway she chose to. Sometimes it just happens when she’s extremely shocked. Time seems to stand still for her in certain situations. She’s always just thought it was another of the powers she took from the Hughes bloodline.”

“No. It is because she is time itself. The powers she took from the Hughes bloodline have only enhanced her body’s control of time.”

“I can’t watch this anymore. When I can go to her, call for me.”

“We’re sorry.”

“Why didn’t you let me in before this started? Why bring me here and keep me from her?”

“Because we knew she would need someone after this was over. And we couldn’t have let you in with her. Only one of us could enter the room before the transition. We have no ties to her. We are made to not interfere with the technology of the room, but even one of us couldn’t be in the room now. She would kill us with the pain that’s radiating off of her.”

Kenda nodded then hurried from the room. Her Elsie’s cries echoing after her, ringing in her ears.

This was all nearly too much to take in.

The Elsie that Kenda had always known was the Óra the legend of the Ancient One spoke of.

Kenda had been so sure that she would never see Elsie again, she knew she was dying, but then she’d been whisked away and suddenly she was healed and wondering what in the world was going on and where she was.

She now knew what was going on, but she still didn’t know where she was. For that matter, she didn’t even know who these people were.

None of them seemed to have names. And all of them were pale skinned and grey eyed.

She’d begun to wonder if this was some sort of secret society.

Then she laughed.

Of course they were a secret society.

They were hidden away underground with no markings that one could see that would tell who they were.

It was enough to make a person feel like they’d gone mad.

That thought made Kenda think of Elsie again.

Her poor lass.

At least once it was safe, she could go to Elsie and comfort her as she’d always done.

She wondered if they had any Scotch about.


	22. Chapter 22

Violet felt horrible for her family. If only she hadn’t intervened and had Elsie come to save Sybil so that Máni and X’ronos could meet and finally learn who they truly were.

If they’d never met, Sól wouldn’t have learned who Sybil was.

Violet still had no idea why Matthew had to die.

That part had never made sense to her.

Matthew had nothing to do with Elsie’s bloodline.

What was the point of his death?

Except to give Sir Richard Carlisle the advantage of continuing to blackmail Mary into submission to his every whim.

Violet’s eyes widened as she finally put the pieces together.

Richard Carlisle was Sól.

It all made sense now.

He wanted Sybil dead to erase Elsie from existence so that X’ronos would be forced back to the sky, leaving Máni bound to earth.

Sól wanted Time, always had. That’s how Máni had wound up on Earth in the first place. What Sól hadn’t planned on was X’ronos following her love to Earth.

Of course he hadn’t followed until a thousand years had passed and Charles and Elsie had nearly met. He’d finally realized what would happen if they ever made contact. They would remember and things would change. A change that Sól didn’t want.

Violet grumbled, “Why haven’t I realized before?” Rolling her eyes at herself, she looked to the communicator that beeped. Only one person knew how to contact her.

“Charles?” she asked when he appeared in place of the painting that hung on her wall.

“Where is Elsie?” Charles asked, his voice gruff.

“What do you mean, where is Elsie? She was pulled before you were.”

“She’s not home. She never arrived. AI doesn’t even know what I’m talking about.”

Violet frowned. “Didn’t the two of you explain? I realize that I may have had something to do with Elsie being called here and breaking the rules, but AI should have reversed the programming when informed of her presence.”

Charles shook his head. “Argued with me, and it still arguing. AI has undergone numerous tests and nothing shows that there has been a malfunction of any sort.”

Violet sat down in the chair behind her. “I don’t understand, Charles. I had him programmed to forget that you were here so that he would send Elsie, but that programming was supposed to reverse once he was told there were two Óra present in the same timeline.”

“That’s just it. There is no sign of that programming.”

Violet frowned. “Is he the same AI that sent you?”

“Yes. All identification matches the AI that has been active for the last twenty years.”

“No signs of tampering?”

“None.” Charles didn’t mention the tamper proof identification of the AI. He only knew of it because he was the one that created it and had it implemented.

“Then I don’t understand. The programming should have been there.”

“It isn’t. Who did you ask?”

“One of the programmers. Amoth.”

“Amoth has disappeared as well.”

Violet slammed her hand down on the arm of the chair. “I thought I could trust him. He’s been trustworthy in the past.”

“Maybe Sól has something to do with all of this madness.”

Violet shook her head. “No. He will have forgotten Elsie just as he has any other time she’s appeared in a timeline that he’s been playing about in.”

Charles drug his hand over his face. “I just found her,” he whispered.

“We’ll find her, Charles. I promise.”

Charles nodded. “If you learn anything, please contact me.”

“The same goes for you.” Violet watched as Charles’ face was replaced by the painting.

She stared at the painting, or through it really. Her mind was somewhere else.

She hadn’t told Charles, but she was fairly certain she knew where Elsie was.

The Order must have learned what was going to happen with Sybil and made the decision to interfere with Elsie’s pull.

Only The Order would have been capable of the AI situation. Only The Order would have been able to make Amoth disappear.

How had she not known he was of The Order?

They were distinct in their lack of color and features.

Or so she’d believed.

Evidently Amoth had been fashioned to fit in with those he was sent to work with.

He’d been their eyes and ears.

He’d told The Order that she’d asked him to arrange it so that Elsie could be sent into the same timeline as Charles. They’d gone one step further.

The AI hadn’t been programmed – it had been replaced for Elsie’s assignment and then changed back again.

That was the only explanation she could think of.

She was almost certain that Sól would have forgotten Elsie along with everyone else, though he had certainly found a way to remember just enough about her to know that Sybil had to die.

Dear sweet Sybil.

Violet hadn’t even known at the start just exactly who Sybil was.

She’d only known that Sybil’s child needed her to live.

But when the timeline shifted again and Sybil was dead, Violet realized just who her granddaughter was.

Just who she, herself, was.

She, the Ancient One, had started Elsie Hughes’ bloodline.

 

~*~

 

Edith frowned as she watched her grandmother sit and stare at a painting. She’d seen that painting hanging on the wall in her grandmother’s sitting room at Downton Abbey before she’d moved to the Dower House. That painting seemed to follow her grandmother wherever she went, and it had always made Edith wonder about it.

There was something odd about the frame, about the texture of the canvas. She’d been around fine art all of her life, and this painting just wasn’t – real.

That’s what was wrong.

The painting wasn’t a real painting.

But if it wasn’t a real painting – what was it?

And why did her grandmother have it?

Her grandmother had been acting strangely the last few weeks but she swore there was nothing wrong.

Edith hadn’t believed her.

The others didn’t seem to care one way or the other.

Mary was never around, her life at Haxby keeping her too busy to spare her family even a moment of thought.

Edith knew from gossip about London that Richard Carlisle had mistresses. She’d also heard that he’d recently disappeared.

Maybe Mary killed him in her bed.

She’d offed Pamuk that way.

Moving further into the room, Edith touched Violet’s shoulder. “Granny,” she whispered. “Are you alright?”

Violet reached up to pat Edith’s hand. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“I just slipped in unannounced. I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize.”

“Granny?”

“Yes?”

“What is that painting? I’ve stared at it for years, always knowing that there was something not quite right and I finally figured it out. That isn’t a painting.”

Violet sighed and gently tugged at Edith’s hand. “Sit down.”

Edith did as she was told, sitting on the ottoman at her grandmother’s knee. “Granny?”

“You read of them when you were little. Do you remember? The book you found in my sitting room that I scolded you for bothering?”

Edith frowned as she thought back, her eyes widening as she remembered. “Yes. I remember. The book was so strange and the stories so foreign. They were about a rare people called The Óra.”

“Yes. Those weren’t just stories, Edith.” Violet held her granddaughter’s hand. “What I’m going to tell you, you must promise never to tell anyone. No one, Edith.”

“I promise, Granny.”

“I am the first, Edith.”

Edith blinked in surprise. “You? You are one of them?”

“The people of time we’ve been called.”

“Óra means time?”

“Yes.”

“And you are,” Edith bit her lip. “You are immortal?”

“I am.”

“But Granny that means,” the young woman felt her heart breaking, tears filling her eyes. “That means you’ll watch us all,” but she couldn’t finish.

“No, I won’t watch. I’ll know, but I couldn’t bear to watch another family die.”

“You’ve had another family?”

“Yes. I’m old, Edith. So much older than I appear. I’ve loved and lost two families.”

“Then why did you do it again?”

“I hadn’t intended to. Your grandfather caught me in a lie and used me to appease his family.”

“Why would he have needed to appease his family?”

“He hadn’t found the right type of woman for the family to approve of him marrying her. So, as my lie was about who I was, it worked in his favor.”

“You mean, that you were Lady Violet?”

“Yes. He knew that I’d made up my bloodline. I was trapped as I couldn’t go back to where I’d been, or where I’d come from.”

“But Granny, I don’t understand. Why were you trapped? The stories I read talked about traveling in time. Couldn’t you have just left?”

“I was running, Edith. At the time I met your grandfather, I had become the Ancient One. I had been running from the loss of my last family, and then the worship started, and I just couldn’t take it anymore. I lost myself in time, and ran into a man who was desperate enough to trap me. He had me to appease his family, and his mistress to appease everything else. He was very unhappy with me when I bore him a daughter. He threatened me, though I wasn’t frightened. I knew something he didn’t. Then I bore him an heir and all was right in his world. He could go back to his mistresses and leave me to my own devices.”

“You had lovers?”

“I did, though I was only ever in love with one man.”

“Who, Granny?”

“A Russian Prince.”

Edith’s eyes widened. “A Russian Prince? Granny!”

Violet laughed at the squeak of her granddaughter’s voice. “Enough of that. You wanted to know about the painting.”

Edith nodded then followed when her grandmother stood and tugged at her hand. Watching as the painting shifted when her grandmother uttered a phrase in a language Edith had never heard, her eyes grew wide when a face appeared.

“Hello, Alpha.”

“Ancient One. Who do you have with you?”

“This is my granddaughter. No need to worry. She’s trustworthy.”

“As you wish.”

“Do you have Elsie Hughes?”

“We do. If not for our intervention, Time would have been lost.”

“So she still exists?”

“She does, though she has been in great pain.”

“And now?”

“Now she has drunk a bottle of Scotch and is resting as peacefully as she can with her companion.”

“And the chamber worked?”

Alpha blinked, not having expected Violet to know about the special chamber that had been created for this. “How do you know about the chamber?”

“I may have been lost in time, but not so lost that I didn’t know what The Order was doing.”

“The chamber was successful. Not only does she still exist, but she still remembers.”

“Good. Then carry on.”

Edith watched the screen morph back into the painting. The shock taking over, she felt her knees going weak. Not realizing what was happening, she found herself being pushed down onto the ottoman she’d occupied earlier.

“Breathe, Edith. I don’t want to have to explain why my granddaughter fainted.”

Taking a couple of deep breaths, Edith finally looked up at her the older woman. “What was that?”

“That was the Alpha of The Order. I can’t begin to explain what they are. I’m not even sure myself. No one that knows of them has ever been sure where they came from, or what they are.”

“It’s all so much, Granny.”

“I know, but the only other grandchild of mine that would have comprehended all of this was Sybil.”

“Sybil.” Edith sighed. “Why does it feel like it was just yesterday?”

“Because the timeline has been messed with, Darling. You don’t remember, but Sybil didn’t die at that political rally. Originally she died after giving birth to a daughter.”

“But Granny, I don’t understand. Why would someone want to change her life?”

“Because by keeping her from ever marrying and having a child, the person responsible thought to keep Elsie Hughes from existing. You don’t remember her, but you met her.”

Edith sighed as she leaned her head over onto Violet’s lap. “My head is spinning, Granny.”

Violet caressed Edith’s hair. Now that the girl knew who she truly was, there was no reason to be the aloof, emotionless, woman she often portrayed. “Then rest it awhile. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Granny?”

“Yes?”

“Tell me more.”

Violet chuckled. “You always were the one for fairytales.”

“But this isn’t a fairytale, is it?”

“No, it isn’t. Though some times I wish that it was.”

Edith listened as her grandmother told of the things she’d seen and done in this timeline she’d been trapped in. The bit about the Russian prince was the most intriguing part, though Edith wondered just what her grandmother wasn’t telling her. “Granny?”

“Yes?”

“What aren’t you telling me about the prince?”

“He was married.”

“Oh.” Edith breathed. “And his wife?”

“Was possessive. She had nothing without him.”

“Did you ever hear from him again?”

Violet shook her head. “With the Russian Revolution, I don’t even know if he’s still alive.”

“We can find out. Will you let me try?” Edith squeezed Violet’s hand. “I want you to be happy, Granny.”

“He will only be one more person I will have to leave behind.”

“But you’ll have love before you have to leave us. I don’t want you to be alone anymore. Please let me.”

Caressing Edith’s cheek, Violet could see in the young woman’s eyes the sadness of being alone. “Fine then. Go ahead. If you find him, and he is with his wife, you’re not to contact them. Understood?”

“Yes, Granny.”

“Now, why did you come by?”

Edith laughed and shook her head. “I have no idea.”

Violet chuckled. “Well, I think you should go home. I’m sure they’ll be missing you.”

Edith hung her head. “No, they won’t be. I’ve never really been missed.”

“I’m sorry, Edith.”

Edith’s face brightened. “No need, Granny. I know something they don’t. You confided in me, that means more than anything.”

“Go on home now.”

Edith stood and leaned over, kissing her grandmother’s cheek. “Thank you, Granny. Can I come for more stories tomorrow?”

“Any time.”

“Goodbye, Granny.”

“Goodbye.” Violet watched her granddaughter leave and wondered why she’d felt compelled to tell the girl her secrets.

Maybe because she saw so much of herself in Edith.

Making up her mind, Violet knew that before she left she’d see to Edith’s happiness.


	23. Chapter 23

Elsie opened her eyes and looked at the hand holding hers. She recognized that hand.  “Kenda?” she whispered.

“Yes, Lass. I’m here. Don’t try to move, it will only stir up another headache.”

“What happened to me?”

“Someone tried to wipe you from existence by going back in your timeline and making sure the woman that started your bloodline died.”

Elsie sighed, “Sól.”

“The sun?”

“Yes. Oh Kenda, there’s so much you don’t know about me. So much I’ve only just remembered myself.”

“You are Time.”

Elsie was surprised at that. “You know?”

“They told me who you are so that I would understand what was happening to you.”

“Why are you here? I thought,” Elsie bit her bottom lip when it trembled. “I thought I would never see you again.”

“You weren’t supposed to. They brought me here and healed me. They wouldn’t let me near you. It hurt not to be able to hold you and comfort you like I’ve always done through the pain, but they wouldn’t let me. I begged them, but it did nothing. They finally explained why no one could go in with you. If anyone else had been in this room with you, it would have interfered with what the room was doing. It protected you. It kept you here with us. I’m just so sorry you had to go through all of that pain alone, but I’m here now and I’m not leaving you.”

Elsie pulled Kenda’s hand up under her chin and sighed as her eyes drifted closed. “Charles. Someone has to find Charles.”

“Who?”

“Máni. My Máni. He has to know that I’m alright.”

“I’ll ask them.”

“Don’t leave me.”

“I promise, Lass. I’ll be right here. When you wake, you can explain to me what the sun has to do with this.”

Elsie hummed as her eyes slid closed. Kenda was here, she was safe, it was enough to lull her back to sleep. When she woke, she had questions of her own.

Who were the _they_ Kenda mentioned?

 

~*~

 

Elsie pushed back against the headboard, her eyes wide as she stared at the figure entering her room. Wildly she looked around for Kenda but couldn’t find her. “Kenda! Kenda!”

“Easy, Lass.” Kenda called as she came in, frowning at Beta as she hurried to Elsie’s bed. “Damnation! You couldn’t have waited until I came back? I promised I wouldn’t leave her!” Pulling Elsie to her, Kenda soothed her back to calmness. “It’s alright. I’m sorry.”

“I had news.”

“And you couldn’t have told me? You forget that she hasn’t seen you. You kept yourselves hidden from her. The least you could have done was waited until she was awake.”

“We found Charles. He has been informed that she is well.”

“Bloody fantastic, now go away.” Kenda scowled at the being then turned her attention back to Elsie. “Easy, Lass. Wake up now. Wake up, Elsie.”

Elsie looked up at Kenda. “What was that? Was I having a nightmare? Or is my far sight distorted still?”

“You were only half awake, but that’s wasn’t a nightmare or your far sight. That was one of the beings that brought me here. They are called The Order. That one is known as Beta. I think they are more sophisticated versions of AI, but I’m not sure.”

“Where did you go?”

“To get something to eat. I didn’t think you needed to be startled awake by my grumbling stomach.”

Elsie chuckled as she settled back on her pillows. “They found Máni.”

“The moon? Elsie, lass, you’re confusing me. What have the moon and the sun to do with things?”

“The Triad, Kenda.”

“I know.”

“Have you never wondered about the mark on my back?”

“All Óra have birthmarks.”

“But mine is different. The others are only on the shoulder blades.”

Kenda frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“X’ronos is in the middle of my back because I am time. I _am_ X’ronos. The legend, Kenda. Máni is the reason I am here on Earth in this person. Have you never wondered why the sun was always between X’ronos and the moon in the alignment of the Triad? Sól has always wanted me but I am in love with Máni. He banished Máni from the sky, so I followed. What he didn’t know was that we both wound up in the form of immortals both born at the same exact moment.”

“And he is the man from your dreams. Charles, err, Máni?”

“He is known as Charles here. Charles Carson.”

“I’m still very confused, Lass. X’ronos is a planet. Sól is the sun which is a star. And Máni is the moon which is…”

“Shh. I’ll explain it all as best I can, but maybe a bite to eat? No need for my own rumbling stomach to disturb the story.”

Kenda rolled her eyes. “Don’t be cheeky, Lass.”

Elsie smiled and squeezed her friend’s hand. “I’m afraid I still can’t walk. My legs wouldn’t hold me up.”

“It’s alright. It’s what I do. Rest while I’m gone.”

Elsie nodded as she watched Kenda go. Closing her eyes, she smiled as she thought of Charles. He knew she was okay, he wouldn’t be panicking because she wasn’t where she was supposed to be.

She wanted to go home.

She wanted to feel his arms around her.

She wanted Kenda to meet him.

She wanted to make love with him again.

Their time together after they’d learned who they were had been just too short.

For the first time in her lifetime, she wondered what it would be like to start a family.

Would he want children?

Or did he feel like she did about it?

Children would only bring eventual heartache because they wouldn’t be immortal.

Parents weren’t supposed to outlive their children.

But then she would think about how wonderful it would be to share in that with the man she loves, and she would waver in her belief.

If they had children, which she knew was still a possibility for her even at this age (she laughed at that – at least she only looked to be in her forties or it would really be an oddity), they would have grandchildren, and great grandchildren, and a whole new bloodline would follow, giving them both family again.

The more she thought about it, the more she wondered what it truly would be like to be a mother.

Her mother had been wonderful.

Maeve Hughes had been a kind and generous woman, not showing favoritism to Elsie just because she was special. She’d guided her oldest daughter more, but only because she had gifts the other children didn’t. Of course, her siblings all bore their father’s last name, only Elsie bore their mother’s because of her being the only one of the daughters to be a Highland witch like their mother.

With her powers, Elsie let herself experience what the soft, milky breath of a baby would feel like against her neck, the soft smell of new life.

Opening her eyes when she heard the door open, Elsie wondered why she’d let herself go like that.

She hadn’t ever let herself dream that way.

Is this what comes from being so very in love?

You find yourself dreaming of things you never wanted before?

“Lass? What is it?”

“I was just letting my thoughts wander.” Elsie shrugged. “I’m not sure it was a good idea.”

“Well, I don’t know about that.” Kenda told her as she sat the tray over Elsie’s lap. “I do know you need to eat and start explaining things to your very confused companion.”


	24. Chapter 24

Charles sighed as he stared out over the dark landscape.

Elsie was safe and had asked that he be found and told as much.

That was his love, always worried for others.

He missed her.

He’d asked if he could come to where she was, but he’d been denied his request.

He hadn’t been happy about it, but when he was informed that Elsie was being taken care of by her companion, he calmed.

The information had led to some confusion on his part, though.

According to Elsie the last time he’d seen her, Kenda had told her that she was dying, that Elsie would never see her again.

He huffed.

The way the thing that contacted him looked, they’d probably healed Kenda after taking her and bringing her to Elsie.

Hearing his communicator buzz, Charles went across the room, and waved his hand. “Yes?”

“You have any assignment.”

“I told you, I’m not going anywhere until we know what happened with you, you bucket of bolts.”

“I am not a bucket of bolts!”

“I’m not going anywhere. Not after the mess you made the last time.”

“I made no mess. I am incapable of making messes.”

Charles scowled. “I’m not going on an assignment. Find another.”

“It must be you. It is the same timeline you just left.”

Charles frowned. “What am I to do?”

“The timeline needs to be reset to its proper order. You must go back to the Great War and save Matthew Crawley from dying. Once that is done, it will save Sybil Crawley.”

“And how do you propose I just show up in the middle of a war?”

“You will not be going alone.”

“What do you mean, I won’t be going alone? I know as well as any Óra that only one of us is allowed in a timeline at a time.”

“Except there were three in the timeline the last visit and nothing happened.”

“Sure. Nothing happened. Nothing but Elsie disappearing, and Sól going back and trying to erase her. That’s nothing of consequence.” Charles growled. “I really dislike you.”

“You dislike a bucket of bolts?”

“I told you, you were a bucket of bolts. At least now you’ve admitted it.”

“I did no such thing!”

Charles smirked. “I heard you.”

“Are you going to take this assignment?”

“If I’m to see Elsie, of course I am. But why is Elsie going in?”

“Because you’ll need her to be able to save Matthew Crawley and William Mason.”

“But William Mason has always died in the original timeline.”

“Yes, he has, but it’s been requested that he live in this reset.”

“Fine. I’ll go and prepare. But on my life as an immortal, if you screw this up, you’ll be on the scrap heap.”

“I did not make a mess the last time. I had nothing to do with that!”

“Oh stuff an oil can in it!” Charles growled as he waved his hand to end the call, effectively cutting the AI’s tirade off. “Bloody thing!”

When the communicator sounded again, Charles was scowling as he answered, his scowl fading as he looked into the blue eyes of his love. “X’ronos,” he breathed.

“Máni.” Elsie smiled.

“Are you really alright?”

“I am, Love. Kenda has taken very good care of me.”

“God bless, Kenda.”

“Yes.” Elsie nodded. “Charlie?”

Charles smiled. “Say it again.”

Elsie frowned. “What?”

“My name.”

“Charlie?”

“Yes.” Charles nodded. “You know, I think I like that better than Máni. The way the r rolls off your tongue does something to me.”

Elsie shook her head at him. “Daft man.”

“Not daft. Just in love.”

“Mmm,” she hummed. “We’ll see each other soon.”

“Are you sure this won’t be too much for you? Isn’t it too soon after what you went through?”

“It probably is, but the longer we wait, the more dangerous it is for me.”

“Sól is responsible for all of this.”

“Yes.”

“What if he finds you?”

“He can’t remember who I am, Charlie.”

“What if he’s found a way, Elsie?”

“How could he have? I control who can and can’t remember me, Charles. I always have. It isn’t just me manipulating time. I’m a Highland witch. I have more than just control over time.”

“One of these days you’re going to have to tell me just what you can do.”

“If this next assignment is as hard as I think it will be, you’ll see most of what I’ve got in action.”

“Will you be in pain like you were after saving Lady Sybil?”

“I think I’ve found a way around that. There are things I need to tell you, things I’ve only just learned myself.”

“We’ll be together soon. You can tell me then. I love you.”

Elsie smiled. “I love you, too.”

Touching his hand to the screen, Charles sighed when Elsie placed hers against her screen. “Soon, my love.”

“Soon, Charlie. Now, I must go. I need to rest as much as possible before traveling.”

Charles watched Elsie’s face disappear as the screen went black. Punching in the code he’d been given, he waited for the now familiar face of the Ancient One to appear.

“Thank you.”

“Whatever for, Charles?”

“I just talked to Elsie.”

“I had nothing to do with that. The Order has been in charge the entire time. They are why AI knew nothing about Elsie being in your timeline. The Order rerouted the communications between Elsie and AI so she was actually talking to their AI and not the one you were.”

“So that’s why the bucket of bolts keeps denying he had anything to do with that whole mess.”

Violet chuckled and nodded. “Yes, it is. I’m sure he’s been nearly apoplectic denying his involvement.”

“He has. I still don’t understand why they gave a machine emotions. It’s caused no end of trouble.”

“They wanted to make him as human like as possible.”

“Well, they should have done a better job on his looks then.”

Violet smirked. “Wait until you see one of The Order.”

Charles rolled his eyes. “I have. Are they AI’s?”

“Far superior technology.”

“How far into the future did they take Elsie?”

“So far that the sun, moon, and X’ronos are gone from the sky.”

“Elsie didn’t say anything.”

“She may not know where she is.”

“I need to go, we’ve been assigned to go in and save Matthew Crawley from dying in the war. If we do that, then your Sybil won’t die because he’ll be there to save her. Why is she so important?”

“Elsie will tell you. Be careful, Charles. Take care of her. This will be harder than saving Sybil the first time.”

“I don’t intend to let anything harm Elsie. I’ll do whatever I have to. She mentioned that she might have learned something that will help her not be in so much pain.”

“I hope for her sake that she has.”

“Thank you. We’ll contact you as soon as we can.”

“I’ll see you.”

Charles laughed and nodded. “I suppose you will.”


	25. Chapter 25

“Elsie, what are we doing on the battlefield? Are they insane?” Charles grumbled as he pulled Elsie down into a nearby foxhole.

“It’s the only way they could see for you to save Matthew.”

“Well this is bloody ridiculous! Why couldn’t we have simply gone in earlier and changed it so he didn’t go to war at all?”

“Charles, you know that we couldn’t have done that. Stopping him would have been impossible. At least this way with my powers we have a chance at success.”

“Well, we’re trapped here for who knows how long, so,” Charles paused when Elsie interrupted him.

“Give me a moment,” she whispered then closed her eyes. “We can move in twenty minutes. Matthew is just to the left of where we are.”

Charles was frowning when Elsie opened her eyes. “Far sight?”

“Yes.” Elsie nodded. “Part of my Highland witch bloodline.”

“Tell me a bit more while we wait.”

Elsie shrugged. “Because of who I am, I wound up with all of the Hughes powers. I was even more powerful than my mother because of it. My sisters had no powers. Of course, I didn’t know who I really was back then, so no one could ever explain why I got all of the powers when they were usually spread out through all the daughters of a family.”

“So if you hadn’t been Time, and you hadn’t had any sisters, what would have happened then?”

“The same as always happened. My aunts’ daughters would have had the powers.”

“Do you mean that you took them all? That no other Hughes woman had powers after you?”

“That’s what I mean. It caused problems for me growing up. I accidently froze a cousin in time when she was yelling at me for being selfish. That’s when we realized I could control time. We learned that I could persuade people to do as I wished with just a whisper of a few ancient Gaelic words and a touch of my hand when I talked another cousin into jumping in the loch after a confrontation over my powers. My far sight power was expected because Mam had the power of far sight. What we didn’t expect was that I can also see into the past which makes it possible for me to see almost a whole timeline for one person. We also discovered that my time power was the only one that caused me pain so I learned to control it. I still can’t control it if I’m shocked.”

“Which is what happened when we met.”

“Yes. Suddenly finding myself standing, staring at the man that had haunted my dreams since I was a little girl was a bit more than my control could handle and you and I found ourselves in a time bubble.”

“It’s rather amazing, though I don’t like that it hurts you.”

“I thankfully didn’t collapse right then and there. I’m surprised no one noticed the missing Scotch.”

“Why whiskey? Why not medication of some sort?”

“Because under the influence of any drug, I can’t control any of my powers. It isn’t pretty what happens.”

“I suppose you found that out the hard way.”

“Yes.”

“But why only whiskey? Have you never tried another alcohol to see if it would work better? You’re a Scott, most of you can hold your liquor, especially Scotch.”

“Same thing happens if I get drunk, which has only ever happened once because most liquor is like water to me.”

“And what was it that you got drunk on?”

Elsie chuckled. “White Lightning.”

Charles arched an eyebrow. “White Lightning? Elsie, where did you get moonshine?”

“Tennessee.”

“What were you doing in the states?”

“Fixing a timeline. I was in so much pain that I needed something and all they had was moonshine. Big mistake. I jumped out of the timeline without erasing their memories. You can imagine what happened when I went back.”

“Wait.” Charles held up his hand. “You jumped out of the timeline? What do you mean, jumped out of the timeline?”

“Just exactly what it sounds like.” Elsie sighed. “I can do anything with time that anyone can imagine. That includes moving through time forward or backward without any help from AI. I just don’t because of the pain it causes.”

“It’s almost time for us to move. Tell me what you think I can do to help you this time?”

“Put your hand over the planet like you did when you found me in the ruins at Downton.”

“You think if I put my hand there at the beginning it will keep you from hurting? I’ll do anything if it will help you.”

“I’m hoping that it will.” Elsie reached across and caressed his cheek. “I know you will, Charlie. Now let’s go. We still have a lot to discuss after we’re finished with this assignment.”

 

~*~

 

The fire trails of bullets filled the dark around them as Elsie froze time long enough for Charles to warn Matthew and William to move to another location and hunker down.

Amazingly enough, neither lad argued, and Elsie wondered if it was because of all of the stories she’d read where soldiers had swore they’d seen ghostly figures on the battlefields.

Whatever the reason, she was thankful for it.

Charles’ hand on her back over the planet part of her birthmark was helping with the pain, but it wasn’t completely taking the pain away.

“They’re safe now, Elsie. Let go.” Charles whispered and watched as time sped up again then pulled her down into the foxhole behind them, covering her body with his as the bomb went off and the bullets began to fly again.

Elsie felt herself trembling then saw Matthew dying and cried out as she shoved against Charles. “Let me out! Sól’s found us! Matthew is in danger again! Let me out, Charles! Let me out!”

Charles moved and helped Elsie out, watching as everything around them slowed again. “Where is he, Elsie?”

“I don’t know, Charlie. I only know that I saw Matthew and William dying. We have to get to them. If I’m with them, nothing Sól can do will harm them.”

“But Elsie, how long can you hold out?”

“I’m an immortal, Charles, I’ll go as long as is needed.”

“Elsie, what if,” he started, stopping when she pressing a finger to his lips.

“Your touch is helping. Just concentrate on me and nothing else. We have to save Matthew.”

“Why?”

“Because if we don’t, Sybil will die, and Elsie Hughes will never be born. I will go back to X’ronos and we will be separated again.”

“You’re going to have to explain all of that to me in more detail…later. Come on.” Charles grabbed her hand. “Which way?”

“Not so fast!” a voice called out.

Elsie looked toward the voice, startled to find herself staring at Richard Carlisle. How had he escaped her time lock?

“You’re wondering how I’m not frozen like all of the others. I wasn’t here. I’ve been watching from a monitor to see who moved. I knew you’d come back to save him.”

“Sól.” Elsie breathed.

“Or as I’m known here, Sir Richard Carlisle.”

“Why are you doing this?” Charles asked as he moved in front of Elsie.

“Máni, do you really think you can keep her safe? You are nothing. As the moon, you needed me to shine. And here, what are you here? She has all of the power, but her power over time won’t be enough to stop me. Not anymore. I’ve found a way to keep her from erasing my memory every time we wind up in the same timeline.

Elsie wasn’t surprised Sól had found a way to remember her, he’d always found a way to get what he wanted – except for her. He’d never find a way to get her.

What Sól evidently hadn’t managed to learn was that she held other powers besides her control of time. She wasn’t sure he knew just what she could do in that area, either. Grasping a handful of Charles’ sweater, she listened to the two men trading insults.

“I could shoot you.”

“For what purpose?” Charles asked, his mind wondering what Elsie was up to with her fist clenched in his sweater. “I’m immortal. Do you not think I’ve been hurt before? I can’t die.”

“But you can be in pain. You can be crippled. You can suffer.”

Elsie couldn’t listen to anymore, didn’t want to give Sól the chance to fulfill his threat. Now that she’d had time to read him, she knew that he was dying, that it would only take so much before his body would completely collapse.

“You’re dying,” she called out from behind Charles. She wasn’t hiding for protection, Sól was right, she was by far the more powerful of this group, but she didn’t want Sól to see her and know what she was up to. She’d move in front of Charles when the time was right.

“This weak human body is. I will just simply return to the sky, but I don’t intend to leave without you going with me. He’s worthless, X’ronos.”

“He isn’t worthless. He is the man I love and he gives me something you never could. All you do is burn, you know nothing else. You don’t love me. You want the power you think I could give you. What you don’t understand is that the power would consume you and you wouldn’t be able to control it.”

“I can control anything!”

“Oh?” Elsie questioned then stepped out from behind Charles, moving in front of him. “Put your hand on my back, Charlie,” she whispered.

“Oh please. What are you going to do?”

“This!” Elsie shouted as she let go of her control, her power over time making her glow as Charles had seen her the night she’d saved Sybil.

Sól’s eyes widened as he felt himself being pulled out of time. “No! You can’t do this!”

“I can!” Elsie shouted at him. “You don’t know everything about me.” She could feel herself being pulled with him and felt her eyes welling with tears. “Charlie, I’ll find you again, I promise. I love you!”

Charles watched as Elsie disappeared with Sól, his hand suddenly cool where it had been resting against her back. “No! Elsie!” he shouted, but it was too late, she was gone.

The sounds of the battle resuming raged around him, but all he could think about was doing what Elsie had wanted – he had to save Matthew and William.

Rushing to where she’d told him they were, he yelled down to them. “You have to come with me. Now. You aren’t safe. I have to keep you safe.”


	26. Chapter 26

Elsie groaned as she felt herself land against the hard earth, not sure just where they’d gone, but knowing she was somewhere away from Charles and the battle that had been going on around them. Sitting up, she couldn’t help the cry that escaped – the pain she was in, she wasn’t sure she’d recover from it enough to be able to find her way back to Charles.

She could hear movement around her, but her eyes hurt and opening them was taking a great deal of effort. Finally managing to lift her lids just enough to see, she looked around and caught sight of Sól who seemed to be faring far worse than she was.

Of course, she’d known that was what would happen – it had been her intent. If his body failed him, he would have to return to his original form and then he would have to leave her and Charles alone.

“You haven’t won.” Richard moaned.

“Hmm, I think I have. You have no idea where we are so you can’t use any tricks to escape.”

“And what trick did you use to pull us from the timeline?”

“No trickery. I am time – I can do with it as I please. That includes moving through it, backward or forward. We went forward. This is what the earth looks like because you banished Máni from the sky and then decided to follow to keep us apart. The only natural light is from the stars that come out at night, but there aren’t many of those left. They’ve come up with an artificial light, but it can’t grow things.”

“And I’m supposed to care?”

Elsie dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands trying desperately to keep her mind clear enough to face off with her enemy. “I know that you don’t, but I do. You aren’t going to cause havoc anymore. I know that you won’t last much longer. Even now your body is beginning to shut down. You can’t go anywhere. You’re going to die here in the middle of no man’s land. I’m sorry you chose to be such a miserable human being, but I won’t let you continue to hurt anyone.”

“You’re the reason.”

“No.” Elsie shook her head. “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to lay the blame at my feet. I did nothing but fall in love with someone other than you, that didn’t deserve any of this.” She watched Sól as he struggled to stand, her own pain trying to consume her.

“You’ve trapped yourself here as well.” Sól tried to yell at her, but didn’t have the strength. “You’ve no way of taking care of your pain here, no one to help you.”

“But my pain will lessen and when it does, I will be able to take myself home.”

“You mean to Máni, or rather, Charles.”

“Yes. I’ll find him again.” Elsie watched as Richard’s eyes closed, his chest heaving with his last breath. Suddenly the sky was light with the sun’s warm light instead of the artificial light of the technology that this world was bubbled in.

“Be happy, Sól,” she whispered as she finally let herself collapse. What she hadn’t told him, was that she’d figured out just exactly where she’d taken them.

They’d landed in the same desert she’d been found in by The Order.

She was counting on them finding her again.

 

~*~

 

“She knew you would find her.” Kenda wiped Elsie’s brow with a cool cloth. “She might not have known exactly why, but she knew I needed to stay with you. She knew she would need me.”

“Why would she do such a thing? Surely she knew what it would do after using her power to save the young Mr. Crawley.” Alpha asked.

Kenda shrugged. “I don’t know what she did. All I know is that whatever she did, it was to save us all. Surely you know that. The bright orange ball in the sky is proof.”

“So it is.”

“Now please go and see if you can find Charles Carson. She’ll need him to recover.”

“We can’t bring him here.”

Kenda rolled her eyes. She didn’t know what these _things_ had against men, but it was rather ridiculous. “Fine then. Bring me some Scotch, then go find Charles Carson. You have to figure out a way to get them together. As bad as she is, I won’t be able to help her. Only him. Only her Máni.”

“How will he help her? He’s nothing but the moon.”

Kenda rolled her eyes. “He is the man she loves. Have you not read or heard the Ancient One’s legend?”

“Of course we have. Why do you think we built this place?”

“Then how do you not know about him and what he is to her?”

“We only know of her and who she is, what she will do – what she has done.”

“Just go and find me some Scotch then find the man. Maybe after you’ve done that you should read up on the legend.” Kenda grumbled as she turned back to Elsie. She’d heard Elsie mumbling about AI several times over the years, and she’d learned from Elsie that Charles thought even less about the thing – but these, she shrugged. The Order was supposed to be made up of AI types that were far superior. Except – that seemed to be an erroneous assumption.

“I can see why your Charlie calls AI a bucket of bolts.” Kenda whispered as she gently bathed Elsie’s face and neck with a cool cloth. The lass was red from being out in the sun. She was sunburned, wind burned, and sand burned. She would be miserable if she woke right now as the healing hadn’t finished yet. Beta had assured that the healing medicine was in the water and to keep bathing Elsie’s skin in the cool liquid.

So far Kenda didn’t see a difference, and she wondered what they intended to do about Elsie’s lips which were cracked and bleeding. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small jar, smiling when she thought about where it had come from.

Elsie had brought it back from Paris on one of her many time traveling trips. Opening the lid, she dipped her finger in then gently spread the substance on Elsie’s lips, careful to cover every inch. She knew that it wouldn’t burn but that it would soothe and help keep Elsie’s lips from cracking further.

Hearing Elsie moan, Kenda gently caressed her cheek. “Easy, Lass.”

“Kenda.” Elsie whispered the name.

“Shh. It’s me. You’re safe now. You did it, Elsie. You saved us.”

“Charlie.”

“Soon. You’ll see him soon. I’ve told Alpha that you need Charles to recover completely. They refuse to bring him here, but they’re going to find him and send you to him. They’d told me the water will help heal your burns. Just be still.”

Elsie whimpered when the cloth touched her. “Scotch?”

“They’re bringing some.”

“Thank you.”

“No need for thanks. You know that I’ll take care of you.”


	27. Chapter 27

Having Elsie in his home made Charles happy at first, but seeing the condition she was in, worried him. Holding Elsie close, her body trembling against him as the pain washed over her, he rested a hand over X’ronos on her back, but she was in so much more pain than she’d been before, that his touch didn’t seem to take the pain as it had.

“Charlie!” Elsie cried out, everything about them slowing down as time reacted to her loss of control. “I can’t stop it, Charlie! Hold on to me!”

Charles sat up and pulled Elsie across his lap, her body curling into his as he bent his legs and formed a cocoon around her, his arms cradling her to his chest. “I’ve got you. Wherever you go, I’m going with you.”

Hearing the glass around them shatter, Charles covered as much of her body as he could with his own, trying to protect as much of her delicate skin as was possible before ducking his head to complete the cocoon and protect their faces. He had no clue what other objects were going to break and go flying across the room.

Elsie fisted her hands in Charles’ shirt, her mind swirling with the pain, no control over any of her powers. Words flowed from her tongue and suddenly the room was filled with people, people Charles could only assume were her parents, her siblings, even lovers and companions that she’d had and lost down through the years.

Charles stared at the people gathering around them, forming a circle and chanting words he couldn’t understand. His breath caught when a tiny replica of his love walked forward and reached out, touching Elsie’s arm. She spoke more words that were foreign to him, but he felt Elsie calm and watched as the windows suddenly repaired themselves, the chairs that had been turned over righted themselves, and the people surrounding him began to disappear.

“Who are you?” he whispered.

Blue eyes that mirrored those of the woman in his arms, looked up at him, staring into his soul.

“You’ll see,” she whispered before disappearing.

The room was suddenly quiet and still, the woman in his arms passed out and limp.

“Elsie, love, what just happened?” he whispered, knowing he wouldn’t get an answer to his question until much later.

If at all.

He wasn’t sure if Elsie would remember any of what just happened.

One thing he was sure of, he didn’t want anything of the sort to ever happen again.

Elsie without control of any of her powers was a bit frightening.

He wasn’t sure if time travel had been involved in any of what had happened, but he somehow thought that it probably was.

He wasn’t sure but what a large number of time streams hadn’t just converged on his house.

How else had all of those people been here?

He knew that Elsie could do a lot of things, but even she couldn’t raise the dead.

 

~*~

 

Having laid Elsie back on the bed, Charles had laid down with her. He’d kept his hand on her back over X’ronos and dozed off, his mind wondering once again who the little girl was.

Had Elsie had a twin that she hadn’t mentioned? One that had died when they were young?

Or had she had a baby that had died?

The thought of Elsie having a baby made him open his eyes and stare off into the dark night outside the windows.

He wondered if Elsie would want to be a mother again, if she’d ever been one that is.

He’d never considered having children before.

He’d watched his family all die until he was all there was left, why would he want to watch a wife and children of his own do the same?

But Elsie made him want a family.

He could picture her body swelling with their child. If he closed his eyes he could see her sitting in a rocker by a great picture window, rocking and singing as she nursed their child, her hand gently caressing over the downy hair that showed signs of being the same auburn as Elsie’s.

He started as the baby turned its head as if looking at him.

The child.

It was the child.

The same child that had touched Elsie’s arm and whispered words foreign to his ears.

Could it be that he’d somehow glimpsed into their future through Elsie’s loss of control?

She did have far sight, which meant she could see into the future.

But was it really their future?

Or was it merely a reflection of a dream she’d had after they’d remembered who they were?

Had she been contemplating a family like he was doing now?

Could they really give up on their long held belief that having a family of their own wasn’t worth the pain and heartache watching them die would bring?

Feeling Elsie shiver, Charles realized the room had gone extremely cold.

Carefully moving from the bed, he pulled the down comforter up over Elsie then hurriedly went about starting a fire in the hearth to help supplement the other heat once he’d turned it on.

He couldn’t ever remember it being this cold here in all the years he’d lived here.

As the temp continued to drop, he wondered if it had something to do with Elsie.

His question was answered when he looked over at her. She was sitting up and mumbling something, her hands outstretched with icy tendrils of light flowing from their tips.

“Elsie!” he shouted, not daring to move near her, keeping his place by the fire to protect himself from the cold. “Elsie! Wake up! Wake up!” he shouted, hoping to startle her enough to break whatever trance, spell, or whatever this was.

Elsie reacted to his voice and slumped back against the bed. “Charlie?”

Charles rushed to her side and smiled down at her when she blinked up at him. “Yes, it’s me. I’m here. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. So cold.”

Charles chuckled a bit. “Is that what you were dreaming about?”

“Mmm hmm.”

“That was some dream, Els.”

Elsie frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Elsie, you are why it’s so cold in here. I woke and it was cold, but not as cold as this. You made it colder by sitting up and saying something. Elsie, there were icy tendrils of light shooting out of your fingertips.”

“Oh,” she breathed. “I’m so sorry. I can’t control this, Charlie. The pain has completely short-circuited any control I have over all of my powers. You have to get me somewhere safe – somewhere I can’t hurt you or anyone else.”

“But Elsie, the only place I know,” Charles started and took a deep breath. “I can’t be with you if you go back there, they won’t let me be.”

“If I take us back, they have no choice.”

“How can you be sure we’ll arrive there instead of somewhere else if you have no control?”

Elsie sighed and reached out for him, wrapping her arms around his broad back. “I think if you keep your hand over X’ronos, it will give me just enough control that I can get us back where we need to be. It’s all I know to do. Look what happened? What if you hadn’t been able to wake me?”

Placing his hand over X’ronos, Charles pressed a kiss to her head. “Just concentrate hard, Love. I don’t relish landing in the loch.”

Elsie laughed as she held him and concentrated on where the needed to go. She didn’t want to return to The Order, but the room they’d kept her in seemed to be a place that was safe for her to be in at the moment.

Charles could feel the shift and pressed his hand tighter against the mark on her back. The air seemed to swirl around him, and he could see things blurring as they went in and out of focus. He’d never traveled through time any other way but with the machine AI ran. You stepped in the chamber in one time, stepped out in another, your clothes, look – everything about you changed to fit the time you were going to.

This, though…this was disorienting.

He could hear things, like music and conversations, only there was a buzzing quality and no clarity. His clothes were still his pajamas, his hair still a right mess from sleeping. Elsie was in his arms but seemed to be suspended where she’d been sitting on the bed instead of his lap.

Elsie slowly relaxed her grip on Charles. She could feel that they were where they needed to be so she let herself relax, everything slowing down as they suddenly landed on the bed she’d occupied only a week before.

Charles let Elsie lay back against the pillows, his hand gently caressing the hair from her face. “Els?”

“Just let me sleep, Charlie. We’re safe here. Hold me and they won’t make you go.”

Charles settled on the bed behind her, curling his body into the curve of hers. “I love you, Elsie. I won’t let them separate us.”


	28. Chapter 28

“Charlie,” Elsie whispered as she caressed his face, trying to wake him. They’d slept for hours, both of them needing to recover from the time travel. She’d woke just a few short minutes ago and simply lay there watching him sleep. He’d moved in his sleep so that his body was against hers. She felt him hard against her and had reacted to the stimuli, her arousal seeming to be heightened by her lack of control over her powers. “Charlie,” she whispered again, leaning forward to press a kiss to his nose. That only garnered a rumble and a bit more shifting which made her moan. Sighing, she smirked as a thought crossed her mind. If he wouldn’t wake up with her whispering his name, she was sure this action would wake him up.

Moving back slightly, she ran her hand down his chest then slipped it into the waistband of his pajama trousers, not surprised at all that he’d forgone shorts. When they’d spent their first night together, he’d told her they were too restrictive to sleep in comfortably. She’d grinned as she ran her hand down and up the length of him, chuckling as he moaned and called her a minx.

Charles woke fully then, his own hands moving to caress her, inching her night shirt up until it was bunched at her waist. With hands that were clever, and skilled, he had her moaning and squirming closer…his past lovers had obviously taught him well in the art of pleasuring.

As their caresses become more heated, they found themselves trying desperately to keep covered as they moved. Feeling the blankets slip from them, Charles looked down at Elsie with raised eyebrows at her giggle.

“Elsie, you know they can see us.”

She grinned and nodded her head. “I do, but I trust they’ll have the good sense to turn away and leave us be.”

Charles shook his head and moved over her, joining his body with hers…her body clutching at his as he pulled out and thrust back in. Keeping his eyes focused on her face, he used their deep blue depths to distract him from his thoughts as they tried to wander to the fact that there were monitoring devices in this room and they were probably being watched, no matter how much trust Elsie had that those watching would turn away. The Order were just a bunch of nuts and bolts, why did he care if they saw what he and Elsie were up to?

“Mmm, Charlie. Your thoughts are very loud.” Elsie whispered as she caressed his face.

Shrugging and shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Charles smiled down at Elsie, his hand pushing a damp tendril of hair from her mouth. “You’re beautiful. Should we give the a real show?” he asked, finally ridding himself of the last vestige of caring about their peeping toms.

Elsie laughed as she lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. “They’re nothing but technology, so why not,” she breathed as she used a foot to kick away the covers.

“We’re being rather naughty. Is this what happens with old age?”

Elsie’s laughter turned to a moan when Charles began to move again. His body was as skilled as his hands. Digging her fingernails into his shoulders, she arched up into him, her breasts pressed against his chest, the touch making her gasp as her hardened nipples were stimulated. “Charlie, yes! Just like that…just there.”

As they continued to move together, both lost in their arousal, a thought crept into Elsie’s mind making her wonder just how it was that she had the strength for this. Maybe her desire for Charles was strong enough to overcome everything else? She felt time slow around them, knew that it was prolonging their love making and she didn’t much care.

It was enjoyable.

What mattered now was nothing but the two of them together.

And the family they could have.

“Charlie,” she whispered as she grasped his face and held his dark gaze. “I want a family.”

Charles paused in his movements. “I saw her,” he whispered. “She looked just like you.”

“Who?”

“I think it was our daughter.”

“Oh Charlie,” she breathed. “I suppose we’ve been having some of the same thoughts.”

“I wasn’t dreaming. She came and touched you. The words she said were ones I couldn’t understand, but you calmed.”

“If she was my daughter, then I suppose she’s a Highland witch and the words she spoke would have been the ancient language we’ve all spoke when using our power or powers.” Tightening her legs, she moved against him. “Let’s finish this, Charlie. Let’s see if we can make a baby.”

Charles gave her a roguish grin. “If we don’t this time, we’ll have fun trying again.”

Elsie laughed and pulled his head down, her lips capturing his, tongue plunging into his mouth, mimicking the movements of their bodies. Her mind on one thing, time sped up, and soon she was crying out Charles’ name, his release spilling inside her.

And with her own release came control.

As she collapsed back on the bed, she realized Charles’ hand had been on her back over X’ronos as they climaxed.

As she settled against Charles’ chest, she pondered just what had happened and the only thing she could think of was that their climaxes had been so intense that it was just possible some of Charles’ energy had flowed into her, helping to restore what had been jumbled by her experience during the war and after.

 

~*~

 

Snuggled together in their freshly made bed, Charles told Elsie about what had happened. “So many people, Elsie. I saw your mother and your sisters. I knew because they all resembled you. And then the little girl. I didn’t know who she was at first, but as I held you after you’d calmed, I started thinking about a family, wondering if you’d been thinking the same after we’d found each other. I let myself imagine you carrying our child and then the last image, you were nursing the baby when she moved and turned to look at me. It was the same face, the same eyes, as the little girl.”

“And that’s when you figured she must have been ours.”

“Yes. What other explanation is there? I still don’t understand why the baby looked at me.”

“It probably wasn’t a dream, Charlie.”

“What do mean? I don’t have far sight.”

“No, but I do. You were holding me and my powers were out of control. You were seeing our future. That’s why the baby looked at you. You were there.”

“So we’re going to have a little girl.”

“Would you rather a son?”

Charles shook his head. “No. I want a little girl with her mother’s hair and eyes.”

“Then I suppose you’ll get your wish.”

“You mean, tonight,” he rested his hand over her stomach. “Now?”

“Yes. We’ve created the first of our family.” Elsie took a deep breath. “Are we sure we want the pain, Charlie? We’ll,” she bit her lip.

“But Elsie, they’ll give us grandchildren, and great, and on and on. Instead of us being the only ones alive in our families, we won’t be alone, Els. Aren’t you tired of being the only one of your bloodline left?”

“I am. We’ll have to leave them eventually, Charlie.”

“Why? Couldn’t we tell them who we are? What would it matter? Didn’t your mother know who you were?”

Elsie nodded. “She did, but only because of the far sight.”

“Do you think all of our children will have powers?”

“If we have girls, yes. The boys won’t have. It passes only through the mother.”

Charles gently moved his thumb over the soft skin of her stomach. “Where will we go?”

“Our own time, Charlie.”

“Elsie?”

“Hmm?”

“Who is Sybil Crawley to you?”

“My grand mother several generations back.”

“But I don’t understand. She isn’t Scottish and she married an Irishman. You said the females in your family had always been Highland witches.”

“Evidently, Sybil was the start of the powers. Charlie, she remembered dying after giving birth. Tom remembered all of it, too, though no one knows how. I suspect it was because of how close he and Sybil were. Anyway, from what I learned, she didn’t necessarily have far sight, she just somehow always knew things. As the bloodline expanded, the power grew in strength. One of their male grandsons, I think he was the tenth generation, anyway, he married a woman from the Highlands. Their daughter had the power to see into the future – far sight – and was the first to be officially called a Highland witch. She was the first Hughes woman. She must have had more than just far sight and with each of her daughters, a power was passed down. That’s the way it was until I came along. As the powers had started with her, they stopped with me.”

“So you’re the granddaughter of the Ancient One.”

“Removed by several generations, but yes, I am.”

“I’ve just made love to a lady.”

Elsie laughed as she shook her head at him. “Daft bugger.”

“I suppose I’ll be in Tom’s shoes, then.”

“No, Love. You’re no butler, and I’m no lady. We’re just the last of the immortals.”

“No more people cursed to live forever.”

“No more. Now that Sól is back in the sky, we’re free, Charlie. I don’t want to go back to being X’ronos. I like being Elsie. I can be with you.”

“And I like being Charles. It’s wonderful being able to touch you.”

“Then we’ll never go back. We’ll just stay.”


	29. Chapter 29

Kenda was surprised by Elsie and Charles just appearing in the living room of Elsie’s flat. “Elsie?”

“Hello, Kenda.” Elsie smiled at her companion as she moved to hug her.

“I don’t understand. How did you get here? You’ve never just appeared like that.”

“I brought us.”

“But Elsie!”

“It’s alright. I’ll be fine. Charles is with me.”

“You should rest.”

“I will. You take care of Charles. Show him around, hmm?”

Kenda nodded. “I will. You rest.”

“I’ll be fine, Love. Rest. We have things to plan.”

Elsie smiled up at Charles as she accepted his kiss. “Tell her,” she whispered.

“All of it?”

“All of it. Kenda knows everything.”

“Then I’ll tell her. She’ll come with us to our new home.”

“Are you sure you want to stay here, Love?”

“I am. Highland witches should stay in Scotland.”

Elsie laughed and kissed him again before going off to her bedroom. She could feel Charles’ gaze on her as she walked away and turned to wink at him before disappearing from his view.

Charles smiled at Elsie’s wink, his heart fuller than it had ever been. The woman he’d dreamed of was real and finally in his life and he couldn’t be happier.

Kenda looked at Charles with a raised eyebrow. “And what are you supposed to tell me?”

Turning his attention back to Kenda, Charles’ smile grew. “Elsie and I are going to be married, and there’ll be a baby.”

Kenda smiled. “Then she doesn’t need me anymore.”

Charles reached out and grabbed Kenda’s hand. “Yes, she does. She’ll always need you for however long you have, she’ll need you. I can’t give her everything. It would break her heart if you left her.” He squeezed the hand he held. “She was broken hearted when she confessed that she’d never see you again. She loves you.”

“I don’t want to be in your way.”

“You won’t be in my way. I want you to move to our new home with us. You can tell me about Elsie, things I missed.”

Kenda smiled and nodded. “I have a lot of stories.”

“And I want to hear them all.”

Kenda nodded and patted Charles’ hand. “Now, let me show you around. How long will we be staying here?”

“Not very. I have a place in mind. I’m marrying a lady, don’t you think she deserves a posh house?”

Kenda laughed. “She’ll beat you over the head for that.”

Charles grinned. “She can’t reach.”

Kenda’s laughter echoed through the flat as she showed Charles about the spacious dwelling.

 

~*~

Isobel sighed as she snuggled into Richard’s arms. “Do you think it was them?”

“That Matthew and William saw on the battlefield?”

“Yes.”

“I do. You can ask the Dowager. She could tell you.”

“I still can’t believe she’s one of them.”

“She’s the oldest of them. I’m still shocked she chose to tell us.”

“I suppose after everything we’ve all been through, she was tired of hiding. I like our little unit. It’s nice that Edith has been let in on the secret. It’s given her a confidence she never had before. She knows that someone loves her.”

“Violet has always loved her, she just wasn’t able to show it until now. And she still can’t around the others.”

“I know and it’s sad. We’ll lose her soon.”

“But we won’t, not really. She’s already promised to keep in touch once she leaves. At some point, I’m sure we’ll see her again. She may even change her looks so that she can come back.”

“That will be a bit odd.”

“It will, but at the same time, she can be with us that way and she can watch her great grandchildren grow up.”

“Do you think Charles and Elsie are safe, wherever they are?”

“I’m sure they are. I think they’ll come to see us again. If for no other reason than to let Elsie see Violet. That’s what I can’t seem to wrap my mind around.”

“It explains why Sybil had to be saved.”

“And why Matthew had to be saved.”

“Do you really believe it was the sun that caused all of that?” Isobel asked as she shivered with the memory of her grief.

“It’s over now, Love. Matthew is safe. We’re all safe. Charles and Elsie saw to that.”

“And Elsie saw to us being together.”

“What do you mean?”

“I asked her to let us remember so that we wouldn’t lose each other.”

Richard smiled as he caressed Isobel’s face. “I wondered why I was chosen to remember.”

“Now you know.”

“So you were falling in love with me then?”

“I knew I was in love with you after I found you in your office with the shattered tea cup.”

Richard smiled. “I wanted to kiss you, we were so close, and I could feel the air thick between us, but I didn’t dare because I didn’t know how you felt.”

“I could feel the tension between us, too. I wanted to kiss you, but decided against it because I thought you would think me too forward.”

“That’s one of the things I love about you.”

Isobel smiled. “It’s what people have always hated about me. It’s nice to know that someone loves me for my forwardness.”

“I love it because I always know where you stand. I don’t like playing games.”

“Is that why you never remarried?”

“That, and I never found a woman to compare to Annaliese.” He kissed Isobel’s head. “Until you, that is.”

Isobel sighed as she settled further against him. “I love you, Richard Clarkson.”

“Mmm, it’s a good thing you do as I love you too, Isobel Clarkson.”

“Then show me,” she breathed as she nipped his earlobe.

“Show you, hmm?” Richard murmured as he gathered her flimsy nightdress in his hand, pulling it up and over her head. “Planned this, did we?” he asked at the sight of her bare flesh, no knickers in sight.

Isobel shrugged. “Maybe. You have an issue with my planning ahead?”

Sliding his hand down between her thighs, Richard smiled smugly when she let them fall open, giving him easier access to explore her sensitive flesh. “I rather like when you’ve nothing on. You could have left the nightdress off as well.”

Richard watched his wife as she whimpered and squirmed in response to his stimulation. She was beautiful to him always, but in the throws of passion she was exquisite. Her hair was a mass of messy curls on the pillow, a fine sheen of sweat on her skin made her skin sort of sparkle in the firelight.

Isobel blinked up at Richard, rolling her eyes at the smug grin on his face. “You are entirely too smug.”

“My wife just screamed my name in the throws of passion, why shouldn’t I be smug?”

“You’re wife wants more.”

Richard nodded as he shed his pajamas then settled in the cradle of her thighs. Brushing himself against her, he smirked when she hissed then pinched his side.

“Stop teasing me!”

“Me? Tease? I wouldn’t do such as that.”

“Richard Clarkson!” Isobel cried out when he thrust forward, burying himself as far as possible inside her. “Oh god! Yes, just like that!”

Richard followed her instructions, giving her everything she asked for, struggling to hold on to his control, wanting to give her all of the pleasure she deserved before he finished.


	30. Chapter 30

Violet smiled at the happy couple looking at her through the communicator screen. “It’s very good to see the two of you looking so happy. Thank you, Elsie, for everything you did.”

Elsie smiled, her blue eyes filled with mischief as she looked up at her husband then back to Violet. “Thank you,” she paused then smirked. “Grandmother.”

Violet laughed, thankful that she was alone in the house. “Cheeky.”

Elsie grinned and nodded. “But that _is_ who you are.”

“Yes, I suppose it is. You’ll always have me, no matter what happens with anyone else. I’m sorry you’ve thought for all these years that it was just you. I didn’t know, Elsie. If I had known our connection, I would have found you and let you know.”

“I understand. No need to apologize. I didn’t know and I’m the one that can see into the past and the future.”

“But we know now.” Charles smiled. “We have news.”

“The baby?”

Elsie laughed. “I thought I was the only one with far sight.”

Violet laughed and shook her head. “Not far sight, Darling. I just recognized the look. You’re aglow with it, Elsie.” She thought a moment then asked what had crossed her mind when she’d first realized Elsie was with child. “This isn’t going to cause issues for you, is it?”

Elsie knew what Violet meant and felt her heart swelling with the new found love she had for the woman who was showing so much concern for her. “I should be fine as long as I have Charles and Kenda with me. My doctor knows who I am, what I am, so he’s keeping a close eye on me.”

“And time traveling?”

“The baby will be fine if I have to do any time travel.”

“As long as she does so via AI and not on her own power.” Charles added earning rolled eyes from Elsie and a chuckle from Violet.

“Well, I expect to see you as much as possible. I would come to you, but…”

“No need to explain, Grandmother.” Elsie interrupted. “I understand your reasons. I can’t say that I blame you. It may come down to Charles and I doing the same if it’s found out who I am.”

“I hope it doesn’t.”

“We’ll be to see you soon. How are Richard and Isobel?”

“Married and happy. Matthew and William told them of the angels that saved them then disappeared. Isobel told me that she knows it was the two of you. She and Richard have both just let the boys think it was angels.”

“We had hoped that’s what they would think. There were all sorts of stories about ghosts and angels on the battlefield.”

“I’ll tell Richard and Isobel to expect visitors.”

“We’ll have to make sure Matthew and William don’t see us.”

“Let me know when you’re coming and I’ll invite Richard and Isobel for dinner.”

“And Spratt?”

Violet rolled her eyes. “Spratt can have the night off.”

Charles chuckled. “I just thought of something, you’re my grandmother now.”

Violet nodded. “So I am. My family is growing all around me. I like it.”

Elsie smiled. “We like it, too.”

“Oh, Elsie. Richard told me to tell you that everything was negative. Whatever that means.”

Elsie leaned back against Charles, her eyes closing, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I had forgotten with all of the madness Sól brought about.”

“Forgotten what, Love?” Charles asked as he caressed her arm.

“I had gone to Richard for tests to see if I had cancer before I saved Sybil the first time.” She smiled. “Grandma that is. Anyway, I’m sure had the tests not been negative, The Order would have taken care of it. As a matter of fact,” she turned toward Charles and pressed a hand to the place where the tumor had been then turned back to face Violet. “They did take care of it.”

“Oh Elsie.” Violet whispered. “If it hadn’t been…”

“I know. But it was and I’m fine.” Elsie smiled. She could feel Charles’ feelings and knew he was more upset than he was letting on. “Goodnight, Grandmother, and tell Richard thank you.”

Violet nodded. “I will. Goodnight, the both of you.”

 

~*~

 

Edith smiled as she looked up at the tall Russian man her grandmother had loved. Still loved as far as she knew. “I’m so happy to have found you.”

“You’re a beautiful girl.” Igor studied Edith. “You remind me of a woman I once loved.”

Edith felt giddy with relief. He remembered her grandmother. “Violet Crawley, the Countess of Grantham.”

“Yes, but how did you know?”

“The reason I remind you of her is because she’s my grandmother.”

“She sent you?”

“She let me look for you.”

Igor looked away. “I can’t let her see me like this.”

“She won’t care, but if you’ll allow me to, I’ll buy you new clothes.”

“I won’t take her money.”

“It isn’t hers. It’s mine to do with as I please. Will you let me? Let me do this for you, and for her? She’s alone now and she still loves you. She said that you know who she really is.”

“I do. I know that one day I will die and she will go on.”

“Yes. Can you love her until then?”

“Oh yes.” Igor nodded then finally agreed. “I’ll let you buy me new clothes.”

“Thank you. Pack whatever you want to bring with you, you won’t be coming back here. You’ll be safe with us. You’ll never have to want for anything again.”

“Bless you.”

“Just tell me that your wife isn’t here.”

Igor chuckled and shook his head. “My wife is no longer my wife.”

“Good. She won’t interfere with you and Granny.”

Igor laughed. “I never thought to hear her called Granny. It suits her. Tell me,” he reached out and touched Edith’s arm. “Has she been happy?”

“Not as happy as she’ll be when you return to her.”

“Tell me about her family. I know that she had a son and daughter. Who do you belong with?”

“I’m her son’s middle daughter. I have an older sister, Mary, and a younger sister named, Sybil. They’re both married to wonderful men, each with a child of their own. Mary has the next heir, and Sybil has a little girl. I am seeing a man, though we can’t be more than that because he’s married.”

“So you’ve wound up somewhat like your grandmother.”

“I suppose so. His wife is insane, but he can’t divorce her.”

“So he’s trapped.”

“Yes.”

“Do you love him?”

“I do.”

“And the money you spoke of, did he give it to you?”

“No. I earned it. I write for his magazine.”

“Ah. So you take more after your grandmother than in just looks.”

“What?”

“Your grandmother would have made a wonderful writer had she been given the chance, or been a man.”

“I wonder if she was a writer in one of her other lives?”

“We’ll have to ask her.”

Edith laughed and smiled at Igor. “I’m going to like having you around.”


	31. Chapter 31

Charles stared out the windows of their bedroom, his thoughts jumbled as he tried to process what he’d learned earlier while talking to the Dowager, a woman he suddenly found himself related to by his marriage. Elsie had thought she had cancer, might well have had if time hadn’t been changed. His heart began to pound just with the thought of what cancer would mean for one of their kind. Of course, as she’d stated, The Order would have taken care of it because of who she was. But, what if she’d been stuck in the past? What if The Order couldn’t get to her, get her out?

“Charlie.” Elsie whispered as she came into the room, arms winding around him from behind. “Stop, Love. Your thoughts are very loud.”

Resting his hand over hers, Charles sighed, “I’m sorry, Love. It’s going to take me a while to remember you can hear my thoughts.”

Elsie chuckled then pressed a kiss to his back. “Darling, I don’t need my powers to hear the thoughts you were thinking.” Scooting around him, she wedged herself between Charles and the windows. “I would have been fine, Darling.”

“How do you know, Elsie? You would have suffered for years before they finally found a cure…if they ever did.”

“I know because I would have had you there with me.”

“But I wasn’t with you when you first found the lump.”

“No, but it wasn’t long after that we remembered who we were.” Elsie reminded him as she caressed his cheek. “You would have helped me through it all, Darling. But I’m fine,” she smiled and placed his hand on her stomach. “We’re both fine. She’s strong, Charlie. She’s going to be more than we ever thought possible.”

Charles gave Elsie a quizzical look. “What do you mean, Elsie?”

“You’ve met her, Charlie.”

Charles frowned then his eyes widened. “You mean, the child? It really was her?”

“Yes, Love.”

“So our little girl is going to be a powerful witch like her mother?”

Elsie chuckled. “It would seem so.”

Charles shook his head. “I’ve been dealing with time travel all my life, but this…”

“I know, Love. I won’t even try to explain. I _am_ Time and even _I_ get a headache trying to figure it all out.”

Charles laughed and pulled Elsie close. “I love you, X’ronos.”

“And I love you, my Máni.”

 

~*~

 

“Igor.” Violet breathed the name, taking him in from head to foot. His hair was a bit longer than it had been the last time she saw him, and he looked tired, but he was here, and that was all that mattered.

Igor moved closer to Violet, his hands coming up to caress her face. “My Violet,” he whispered. “Still as beautiful.”

Violet shook her head. “Always the flatterer,” she murmured as she leaned her face into his hands. “I’ve missed you.”

“And I you. I’ve often wondered if you were still here. I thought about writing, but then I thought about your family and gave up the idea. Do they know of me? Or is it just the lass?”

“Edith learned of you first and then we told my cousin and her husband about you. They all know who I am.” Violet reached up to trace a line on Igor’s face. “Irina?”

“Gone.”

“What kind of gone, Igor? I don’t want a repeat of our past.”

“The kind of gone that will never come back. I’m free, Violet. I’m free to be with you.”

“I made sure of that before I brought him here.”

Violet smiled as she moved away from Igor and held out her arms for her granddaughter. “Thank you.”

Edith hugged Violet tightly. “You deserve to be happy, Granny.”

Violet patted her cheek as they pulled out of the embrace. “Now, how do we explain my visitor to Spratt?”

Edith scowled. “Maybe your Russian prince can go, “Boo!”, that should take care of your ridiculous butler.”

Violet laughed, knowing that her granddaughter was right. Igor could very easily scare Spratt, at least he could have when they were young.

“I still can, my love.” Igor assured her as if he’d read her thoughts. “My face may have grown older along with my body, but my voice still holds the power it always did.”

Violet shivered. “I believe you.”

Edith chuckled at her grandmother’s reaction. “I’m going home. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, Granny.”

“Oh be on with you!” Violet spluttered at her granddaughter’s cheek.

“I love you, Granny.”

“I love you. Now go and leave us be for a while.”

Igor chuckled at Edith’s giggle as she rushed out of the house. “She’s so much like you.” Pulling Violet against him, he lifted his hand and cupped her face, his thumb lightly caressing over her cheek. “Are we truly alone?”

“We are.”

“No maid?”

Violet shook her head. “No. I sent her and the butler away for a few days. Just know, that we will be able to trust Denker. Spratt,” she sighed. “He’ll be a problem.”

“A problem only if we have an affair.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“I want to be your lover, to spend my last years with you, but not hiding. I want to be with you in the open. No sneaking about.”

“I’ve had enough sneaking about. I can’t tell my whole family who I am, so I have to sneak about with that. You, well, I don’t care what they say. No sneaking around.”

“So, will you be my princess?”

Violet smiled as she nodded. “Of course I will.”

“Fine then. Now, I believe your granddaughter suggested we not do what she wouldn’t do.”

“Oh, I believe we’ll be doing a lot that she hasn’t done.” Violet took his hand and led him toward the stairs. “Do you have other clothes?”

“I believe they’ve been taken upstairs by your granddaughter.”

“And I’m sure the cheeky lass put them in my room.”

“Good.”

 

~*~

 

“Grandmother?” Elsie questioned as she looked at the man standing next to Violet.

“Elsie, this is Igor. The man I’ve loved all these years.”

Elsie smiled. “Edith found him.”

“Yes. She found him and brought him to me.”

“It seems we’ve both found the man of our dreams.”

Violet chuckled, “Well, at least one of our dreams.”

Igor frowned. “What?”

Elsie smiled at the man and explained to ease his confusion. “I dreamed of my husband all of my life. I suppose my mind remembered him in subconscious memories that took the form of my dreams. Charles dreamed of me, though he didn’t know who I was, either.”

Igor smiled. “I often dreamed of Violet,” he spoke softly, the look on his face telling just what sort of dreams he’d had.

Violet blushed and patted his hand. “Stop that,” she whispered.

Elsie chuckled and grinned when Violet scowled at her. “What?”

“Don’t what me, cheeky thing.”

Elsie shrugged and winked. “I must get that from you.”

Igor laughed when Violet rolled her eyes. “I can see I’m going to enjoy myself immensely being part of this family.”

“You haven’t met my son and daughter yet.” Violet murmured.

Elsie rolled her eyes. “Do you have to introduce him to Mary?”

Violet laughed. “I think she would notice a man suddenly living with her grandmother.”

“I suppose so. I think she’ll be the worst of the lot.”

“I suspect that may well be true, though I don’t think Robert, Cora, and Rosamund will be very accepting themselves.”

“I’m sorry, Grandmother.”

Violet smiled at the younger woman. “Now, none of that. You know, you’re going to have to start calling me Granny like the others do. Grandmother is so…”

“Formal.” Charles finished for her as he came up behind Elsie.

“Yes, thank you, Charles.”

“Why don’t we settle with Gran? That’s much better than Granny.” Charles suggested.

“I like that.” Elsie smiled up at him then turned her attention back to the screen. “Igor, this is my husband, Charles Carson…the other part of Gran’s legend.”

“Igor?” Charles asked.

Violet nodded. “My lost Russian prince.”

“Oh.” Charles nodded then smiled at Igor. “It’s nice to finally meet the man that I’ve heard so much about. Good luck with Lord Grantham.”

Elsie elbowed him. “Don’t scare the man off.”

Violet laughed at that and turned to find Igor grinning. “Elsie, that won’t be an issue. You’ve heard Charles’ booming, yes?”

Elsie nodded. “Yes. I saw several maids, and footmen alike, quake at that booming voice.”

“Well, Igor can easily do the same. Robert won’t cause much fuss.”

Elsie smiled. “Good. Now, it’s late there. Shouldn’t you two be in bed?” she asked as innocently as she could, her eyes filled with mischief.

“Elsie!” Charles scolded.

Violet shook her head and looked at Igor. “It would seem all of my granddaughters are full of cheek.”

Igor smiled and pressed a kiss forehead. “They must have inherited it from their grandmother.”


	32. Chapter 32

_Earth, Autumn Equinox in the very distant future_

_A baby’s cry rent the night as bright blue eyes searched for the voice the babe had heard for nine months. It was cold and bright in this strange place, but all of that disappeared with the arms that tenderly cradled the babe._

_“Hello my wee lassie. We’ve been waiting for you.”_

_And so it was…the beginning of the new Hughes witches._

 

Elsie watched her daughter, amazed at the woman she’d become. She’d been the only child Charles and Elsie had, but she’d never complained of being lonely.

“She’s grown into a fine young woman, Elsie.” Charles whispered as he slipped his arms around his wife’s waist. “I find it odd that she remembers coming to help us so long ago.”

“She’s Time, Darling. Of course she remembers.”

“Did you know that she would be Time as you are?”

“I wasn’t sure. Even with my powers, there was still so much I didn’t know about her. I never dreamed she’d be immortal as we are.”

“Is it because she’s Time? Or could it be because both of her parents are immortals?”

“Probably a combination of the two.” Elsie laughed as she watched her grandchildren sneak up on Violet. “I’m glad Gran finally came to us.”

“She missed Igor.”

“She still misses him, but being here with her family helps the loneliness.”

Charles gently rocked Elsie back and forth. “Do you think she’ll find another love?”

Elsie shook her head. “No. Igor was her once in a lifetime, and it’s a very long lifetime. She’s safe here, and happy. We’ll always be here so she’ll never be lonely again. Our daughter started a new bloodline that will continue on for years to come. None of us will ever be alone again.”

Pressing a kiss to her head, Charles turned Elsie in his arms and smiled down at her. “I think we’ve gone far beyond the legend. Do you think she knew that we would?”

“I think there is a lot about Gran that we don’t know. She’s seen and done so much more than we know and I don’t think that she’ll ever tell us all of it.”

“Haven’t you seen it all when you’ve touched her?”

“No. She’s built walls that block me from seeing the painful things. She’s the only person alive that can do that. My mother could, but she had far sight as I do. With Gran,” Elsie shrugged. “It must be that she’s The Ancient One.”

“Don’t let her hear you call her that.” Charles chuckled.

Elsie grinned. “She’d have my head.”

Charles nodded and pulled her close. “Why don’t we take a little walk? They won’t miss us.”

“Elisabeth will know we’ve gone.” Elsie reminded.

“And she’ll do what she’s always done.” Charles did his own reminding. “She’ll grin and shake her head.”

Elsie turned to look back out the window. “She’s amazing, Charlie. Thank you.”

“I need no thanks, Elsie. All I need is the love that you give me.” He shrugged. “Besides, it’s I who should be thanking you. You did all of the hard work. I was just…there.”

Elsie cupped his cheek, her gaze soft as she smiled up at him. “You weren’t, _just there_ , as you put it, Darling. Who was it that sang her to sleep at night when she wouldn’t let me rest? Who was it that read to her? Who was it that had to put up with my loss of control over my powers when my labor started?” Elsie giggled at that one. “Who was it that held on for dear life when we started blinking in and out of the room?”

Charles laughed and patted her hip. “I was very glad when we managed to stop. I really don’t like traveling like that.”

Elsie winked. “I don’t much care for traveling like that, either.”

“That was a wild time. Though not as wild as the first time you lost control of your powers around me.”

“The time you met our daughter.”

Charles smiled and leaned down to kiss Elsie. “Yes,” he whispered against her lips, pulling her close as he deepened the kiss.

Elsie hummed her pleasure then sighed when she felt her oldest granddaughter’s mind touch hers. “Charlie,” she murmured as she pulled out of their kiss. “The children are asking where Nana and Pops are at.” She couldn’t help but laugh when Charles rolled his eyes at the name.

“Tell me again why they chose Pops?”

Elsie shrugged. “You know that Gran suggested it. I think she knew you would roll your eyes. She _is_ where I get my cheek.”

“Yes, she is.” Charles smiled. “Come on then, Nana. And tell them it’s not nice to interrupt where Pops can’t hear them.”

Elsie’s laughter filled the air around them as they walked outside to join their family.

 

~*~

 

“Nana, did you really save the life of your grandmother?”

Elsie smiled at the little boy that looked so much like her husband. “Yes, Eddie, I did. I didn’t know who she was when I saved her life, though.”

“Mam says Sister looks like her.”

“Sassy does look like Lady Sybil.”

“Nana.” Sassy grumbled. “Aren’t I too old for that name?”

Elsie raised an eyebrow. “Are you?”

Charles chuckled and patted his granddaughter on the head. “Now, now, Love. You know how you got that name. I do believe you’re stuck with it.”

“It’s Nana’s fault.”

Violet laughed when Elsie spluttered. “Well at least she doesn’t lay blame at my feet as someone else I know does.”

Elsie grinned at the older woman. “Gran,” she whispered.

Violet sighed good naturedly. “I suppose I can take the blame for all of it.”

“Well you are the beginning of the bloodline.” Charles reminded.

“No need to remind me of how old I am.”

Elsie laughed then looked down when she felt a tug at her skirt. “What is it, Lassie?”

“Nana, tell us ‘bout Time and da Moon.”

Elsie smiled as she lifted the youngest of her grandchildren onto her lap. “You want to hear about Time and the Moon again? Haven’t you heard that story enough?”

“No!” chorused around her and Elsie smiled over at Charles.

“Fine then.”

“Pops has to help.” Eddie spoke up as he settled in at his grandmother’s feet. “I like his AI voice.”

Elsie laughed when Charles growled, “Stupid bucket of bolts,” as he settled beside her. Kissing his cheek, she held his gaze a moment then turned her attention back to their grandchildren, noticing that the rest of the family had gathered closer as well.

_“Long ago, in the last year of the Triad, two bairns were born at the same moment…”_


End file.
